The Bonds that Tie
by Kyprish Prophetess
Summary: Third in the series. Right after 'A Snake in the Nest.' It's been two years since Sirius and Cooro fell through the Veil. Voldemort is on a rampage. Follow the many characters through the war and see who will break and who is strong.
1. Chapter 1

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter One**

If this was death, Sirius supposed it wasn't too bad. He was laying on a grassy hillside, looking at the sky. He'd bet that if Cooro were here, he'd be flying around, swooping down before shooting up to try and touch the clouds.

_Wait…_ He sat up, looking around. Cooro lay near him, unconscious. He stood and walked forward, leaning over the boy.

He was curled in a ball, clutching his hand to his chest. Examining it, Sirius felt sick. His finger was gone. Same as Peter's. Cooro stirred, then woke, sitting up. Sirius sat next to him.

"Sirius…?" He turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Are we dead?" Sirius opened his mouth to answer when a third voice interrupted him.

"Partially." They both jumped, looking around to find a man standing in front of them, wearing all white. Behind him stood Pettigrew. Sirius glared, and tried to step forward, but Cooro grabbed his sleeve, and he stopped.

"What do you mean by partially? I thought the Veil was supposed to kill us." Cooro tilted his head to the side, examining the man in front of him. Was he an angel…?

"It is. However, there was a mishap. The spell requires only one person's blood, and only one to go through the Veil. Because his," he gestured to Peter, "blood fell in the cauldron as well, and he went through the Veil first, he is the sacrifice." He waved his hand, and Peter disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" The man shrugged.

"To be judged. You two, however, are going elsewhere." He gestured for them to sit, as he did so. Sirius shrugged and did so, followed by Cooro. He felt like he was in story time.

"The spell altered the Veil's properties to let a man through that is neither living nor dead. That alteration had given you two a unique opportunity. You may go back to Earth." Sirius' eyes narrowed. All his life, he'd been told, there was only one way to stay on Earth after death.

"As ghosts?" He asked suspiciously. Cooro blinked, having not thought of that. The man chuckled.

"As real, honest people. You will be as alive as when you fell through. No tricks, no potions you have to drink or spells to perform. It will be like this never happened." Sirius was not a trusting person.

"What's the catch?" Cooro looked at him now.

"We probably have to kill Voldemort." The man nodded.

"He is an abomination. Not only has he done terrible things, he has done something no person should. He has split his soul, seven times." Sirius flinched.

"Your mission, should you decide to go back, is to destroy these remnants. A prophesy was made that means neither of you may deliver the finishing blow, however."

"It has to be Harry, doesn't it?" Sirius looked down, remembering well the prophesy. He'd been there when Dumbledore told them of it.

"Precisely. Now, here." He handed him a small piece of paper.

"It will tell you where the soul fragments are. Only to you two." He stood, and Sirius followed suit. Cooro rolled down the hill, giggling. The man raised an eyebrow.

"One other thing. Until the fragments are destroyed, none of your friends or family may know of your rebirth, as it were." Cooro froze where he was. Sirius glared.

"Why?" The man held up his hands.

"Not my decision. Simply put, because they'll think you're an Inferi or something similar. If any of them do see you, they will be made to forget it once you leave." He sighed.

"That is all I can give you. Now, walk down this path," he gestured behind him, where it lay, "until you reach the Veil once again. I make no guarantee on when you arrive, but you will be exactly where you left from, in the same condition." Cooro rejoined them, and the man seemed to just notice his finger.

Gently, he reached out and touched it, healing the skin over but not re-growing the digit.

"Farewell, and good luck." He vanished, and Sirius sighed.

"Well, might as well start walking. Come on kid, lets go."

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_Pettigrew shoved Cooro towards the Veil. Cooro latched onto his arm. They began to struggle, and Sirius neared the barrier, as close as he could. It disappeared, and he dove at them, just as Cooro seemed to lose strength._

_He began to fall, and Peter shoved him back to the Veil._

"_Oh no you don't!" Sirius barreled into Wormtail, wand forgotten, knocking them both towards the Veil. Pettigrew grabbed hold of Cooro, trying to regain stability, but it was too late. All three went through._

_Just before he disappeared, Cooro's eyes met his. He gave him a small, sad smile. Then he was gone._

"_Cooro!"_

"_Sirius!"_

"Cooro!" Senri woke with a start, shooting off the bed before he realized where he was. He stared into the darkness, reliving the moment again. If he'd moved fast enough, not been so groggy from whatever had hit him…

He remembered the shock from the students. They'd been told at lunch what Harry, Ron and Neville had done, and at dinner, they were informed of the events at the Ministry.

The fact that Sirius Black was innocent had been a real shock, but it was the death of a student that stunned them. Even the Slytherins were quiet.

Dumbledore hadn't held back why any of them were there, nor what had occurred with the potion. It had attracted the media, the Ministry, angry parents demanding to know how this had happened, and so on.

Dementors were put on to guard the school after that. They didn't leave until the next year, when Malfoy was attacked sneaking out of the school. Remus had taught that year, but his secret had spilled, and he left. He professed later that he didn't mind it too much, though he'd like to teach again after the war was over.

Over that summer, Senri had turned eighteen. Azkaban was totaled, and all of it's prisoners freed.

Now, it was their fourth year. Or the children's, anyway. Senri has left after third year, joining Dumbledore's group of fighters.

"Senri? You alright?" Remus' voice leaked through the door, and he opened it to find said man standing there.

"I heard you scream…" Remus looked a bit awkward, probably because Senri was eighteen now, and nearly as tall as him. Harder to comfort, he guessed. Senri nodded, not wanting to talk, and Remus relaxed.

"Come on, I'll put on a pot of tea. We have an assignment tomorrow, by the way. There was a sighting of MacNair, and we're assigned to look into it."

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It felt like they'd been walking forever, and yet it felt as though they'd barely started. It was odd. Sirius and Cooro walked on and on, talking of anything that came up. He supposed that spilling some of his darker secrets to a twelve-year old should feel awkward, but it didn't. Possibly due to the bizarre circumstances they found themselves in.

Finally, he turned into a dog, loping along next to Cooro with ease. Cooro put his hand on his head, patting it absentmindedly as they walked.

It was a long time, and none at all, when they reached the Veil. Cooro looked at the back-to-human Sirius, who shrugged, grabbed his wrist, and they both jumped back to the world of the living.

The first thing he did when they landed was sniff the room.

"It still smells in here. Do you think they ever clean?" Cooro shrugged. Sirius let go of his wrist and gestured magnificently.

"Welcome to Earth. Population: A lot. Your mission is to go kill an evil creature bit by bit. Shall we go?" Cooro laughed, and Sirius grabbed his arm again, Apparating them both away.

"Where are we?" Cooro asked, looking all around. They were standing in front of an ugly row of houses. As he watched, one seemed to sprout from in between eleven and thirteen. Sirius led the way inside, answering as he closed the door,

"Grimmauld Place. We're here only for a moment, I hope. Come on," he led the way to a dirty kitchen.

"Kreacher!"

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Husky barely listened as McGonagall explained a spell. His book was open in front of him, and he watched her movements carefully, but his mind was elsewhere. The seat in front of him, to be specific.

The TriWizard tournament meant that there was a Yule Ball, and it was in a few weeks. Most people weren't looking for dates this early, more interested in gossiping about the four champions, but he wasn't.

He wanted to ask Nana. Really badly. But he was pretty sure she'd think he was joking, or worse, already had a date. Or was that backwards?

He shook his head, clearing it. Coming to a decision, he nodded to himself. He'd ask her. If worse came to worst, then he could at least say he tried.

He didn't get his chance until after lunch, when they both had a free period, and went to the library to study.

"Nana? Can I talk to you?" She looked up from her textbook and nodded. He sat down next to her.

"Err… you know the Ball that's coming up?" She nodded, and he was partially relieved that a light of understanding lit her eyes.

"Would… will you go with me?" She grinned at him, practically tackling him with a hug.

"Of course I will!" He didn't answer, only grinned back.

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Cooro stared at Kreacher. Kreacher glared back. Well, he alternated between glaring at him and Sirius, then mumbling under his breath, before starting the cycle again. Sirius sighed, trying not to kill the thing in font of him simply for existing.

"Kreacher. We're not going to stay long. In fact, I only have a few questions, then we'll leave you to your painting. Got it?" Kreacher nodded, but muttered again.

"Kreacher heard that Master was dead. Why is he here?"

"A twist in events, I'm afraid. Now, do you know the date?" Kreacher did not.

"OK… how long has it been since I was here last?" Kreacher answered slowly, evidentially counting it out.

"Nearly two years now, it is. Kreacher has been alone with Mistress. Nobody interrupts us, no." Sirius sighed in relief at that. If he had to, they could use this place as a hideout.

"Okay, one more. Is that old case of daggers still in the drawing room?" Kreacher simply nodded, and Sirius dismissed him. Kreacher left with a crack.

"He never liked me." Sirius explained to Cooro, but he wasn't listening, instead staring at Sirius' pocket. Sirius glanced down, to see that it was glowing.

Pulling out the paper they'd been given, he blinked. On it was a picture of a locket, ornately carved with an 'S' and a snake. The picture zoomed out, and he realized it was in his own living room.

"Well, that settles that." He slipped the paper back into his pocket, and lead the way to the drawing room first, explaining to Cooro as he did.

"A soul fragment is called a Horcrux. There are very few things that can destroy one, but these daggers will do fine." He pulled out two simple ones, handing Cooro one.

"Imbued with basilisk venom. Deadly to humans within seconds. Only known cure is phoenix tears, and they have to be fresh." He walked into the living room now, where a cabinet held various items, including the locket.

"Well, let's see what we're up against." Sirius muttered, and he reached for the locket.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Two**

Sirius panted heavily as he slumped down onto the couch, ignoring the puff of dust that rose in his wake. Cooro settled carefully into the chair across from him.

"So… that was a Horcrux?" Cooro asked, examining the remains of the locket. Both windows were shattered. Sirius had nearly ripped it apart when it began to imitate James and Lily. Sirius nodded, just as Kreacher appeared in the room, apparently attracted by the noise.

"What is Master and brat doing to Mistresses things?" He asked himself, looking at the cabinet instead of them. Apparently, he was well-acquainted with it's contents, for he rounded on them both, servant role forgotten.

"Where is Master Regulus' locket?" Cooro glanced at Sirius, who shrugged, and held it out for Kreacher to take. The house elf reached out, gently removing it from his grasp and examining it.

"You broke it… Master broke the locket." Sirius braced himself for the fit the elf would inevitably throw, as Regulus was his favorite, but was surprised. Kreacher was _smiling_, and his big eyes were brimming with tears.

"You did what Kreacher couldn't. Master did what Master Regulus told Kreacher to," he was all but cheering, and looked at Sirius for the first time without absolute loathing.

"Why?" Sirius, who was rather surprised at the change in the elf, answered carefully.

"The locket was… vital to Voldemort. So we destroyed it. If Regulus wanted you to destroy it, it means he knew… Bloody hell, that's probably why they killed him…" Sirius was silent for a long time. Cooro sat in his chair, wondering who Regulus was.

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Harry frowned abruptly, making Hermione raise an eyebrow at him.

"What is it, Harry?" The look on her face, Harry decided, said that she thought he was thinking about Cho again. Or the tournament. Or Voldemort. He spent equal time on each, really.

"Nothing. I just… thought I felt something in my scar." She frowned now, looking worried.

"Like first year?" He shook his head.

"No, more like… when I destroyed the diary. Like he's in pain or something."

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Remus looked at Dumbledore carefully, trying to find some evidence he was lying. He found none.

"He… he really did that?" Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes. I have found one, and have an idea where the next is. The diary, from the Chamber, was one as well. My belief is that he meant for seven, including that in himself." Remus sat down heavily. He knew the implications of such a spell.

"There is another thing, one that I am most afraid is true. When the spell backfired on him, on Halloween so many years ago-" Remus looked up.

"Is that how he survived, then? The Horcruxes?" Dumbledore nodded, and continued.

"Yes. But I believe that his soul was so unstable at that point that one piece broke off again, and attached itself to the only other being in the room."

"Harry." Dumbledore nodded again.

"Yes." Remus sighed, closing his eyes. This was too much.

"Does he know?" The other frowned, considering.

"Harry or Voldemort?" Remus shrugged. "Well, I believe Voldemort has no idea of what happened. As to Harry, I told him when I told him of the prophesy, right after Sirius and Cooro fell." Remus winced. In his mind's eye, he could see the event clearly. 

He knew it was unfair of him, but he blamed himself for it. Had he listened to Nana that time, she might have told them earlier. They could have stopped it…

He felt that some of the blame lay with Dumbledore as well, but couldn't bring himself to really feel it. Guilt was easier to handle, for him, than anger.

"So you mean for me to look as well?" Dumbledore looked surprised.

"I felt you should know, Remus. I can manage this, even in my old age. You are busy raising three children." Remus began to protest, but Albus held up a hand.

"You are as much a father to those children as anyone, Remus. Remember that they were all orphans. I believe I nearly heard Nana call you 'father' once before." Remus blushed, embarrassed and pleased all at once. Dumbledore smiled at him.

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Sirius abruptly glanced at Cooro's finger while they sat around the living room.

"Oh! I forgot; we need to fix that. Let me see." Cooro held out his hand for him, and Sirius pulled out his wand. Mumbling under his breath, a strange mist surrounded Cooro's hand. Cooro jumped, but Sirius' grip held him still. A tingling sensation filled the appendage, starting at the base of the missing finger.

"There you go." Sirius' grip let go, and the mist faded. Cooro looked down, to find a flesh-colored metal finger on his hand.

"Best I can do. Your real finger is lost, but that'll keep the attention off of it, mostly." He sounded a bit nervous. 

_Probably never done that before._ Cooro grinned up at him, pleased.

"It's great!"

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Kreacher, Cooro was surprised to find, warmed up considerably to them both when he found that Sirius and Regulus were, or did, fighting for the same cause. 

This caused them both to be sitting in a much-cleaner kitchen, eating French Onion soup from gleaming tureens. Cooro finished first, and leaned back happily.

"That was _excellent._ Thanks you, Kreacher." Kreacher nodded, taking away the dishes. Cooro stood and scooped up a few more, walking after him and setting them in the sink with the other.

"What is Master Cooro doing?" Kreacher frowned at him in confusion. Cooro shrugged, pondering silently when he'd learned his name, and how the 'Master' had been added.

"Helping." Kreacher looked surprised, and waved his hand, setting the dishes to washing themselves.

"Kreacher isn't needing any help, young Master." He began to walk out of the room, but Cooro stopped him.

"Wait. Can you tell me who Master Regulus is?" He left on the master, to placate the elf. Kreacher looked sad.

"Master Regulus was Mistresses younger son. Master Sirius is his older brother." Cooro nodded, not entirely shocked.

"And… what happened? With the locket and everything?" Kreacher looked down, shaking slightly. Slowly, he told the story. By the end of it, Cooro wanted to give him a hug.

"You did great, Kreacher. Remember that, okay? He would be proud of you." Kreacher looks like he has never received higher praise.

Later, when he told Sirius, he whistled.

"Never thought Reg would have it in him. But that makes things far easier. Leaves only six little things to stab. Right fun, eh?" Cooro thought about it carefully.

"Maybe less." Sirius raised a brow at him.

"What're you on about?" Cooro shrugged.

"Well, it's fairly likely someone else found out, if your brother did. So it's also possible they got to a few as well." Sirius considered this, then pulled out the paper again.

"Wish this thing could tell us. I'll bet you're right. Hey! Look, there's something there." He held it out, and Cooro looked at it carefully.

"That's that diary Harry had. Wait… it's being stabbed by some kind of fang." Sirius nodded.

"Basilisk fang. Didn't you say that the Chamber's beast was a basilisk?" 

"So… that makes five left. No, look, here's another one." Now the paper had an old ring on it.

"That's a Gaunt relic. Direct line with Slytherin, they were. All dead now, I think. Look, Dumbledore just destroyed it with a sword. So, we've got four to quest for." They watched it carefully, but nothing else showed.

"Guess it was just answering our question, then. So, Harry got to the diary, and old Dumbles trashed an old ring." Cooro giggled.

"Does he know you call him that?" Sirius winked.

"He likes it. Secretly. In fact, I'd wager he himself doesn't know it." Cooro snorted. 

"Of course." Sirius shook his head.

"You sound like Remus." He abruptly grinned widely.

"Can't wait for this to be over. I want to see his face when I turn up, alive and well." Cooro grinned as well.

As both were incurable optimists, it didn't cross either of their minds that something could go wrong with their plan. 

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"There is so much that could go wrong with this plan." Harry groaned, looking at the blob of green stuff he held. Neville and Dobby both assured him it would work, but he found it dodgy. A weed that gave you gills? Really?

"Relax. The gillyweed will work fine. It only lasts an hour, but as that's how long the task is, that won't be a problem. You only have to worry about what's in the lake." For all his efforts, Neville only made him worry more.

"Yes. Because merpeople, the giant squid, grindylows and whatever else happens to live in the lake isn't worrisome. At all." Neville winced, but Harry ignored it. He could apologize for it later. Nana walked up, with Husky conspicuously missing. After the ball, they'd been closer than before. Not much, but enough for people to notice.

"Come on, we have to go. Harry, it'll be fine. Ron and Hermione will be safe, you'll do great, and everyone will be happy. Oh, and I'll find a way to kill Rita Skeeter later." She added as afterthought, and the tension cleared a bit. Neville looked around.

"Where's Husky?" She grinned, and leaned in carefully.

"Dumbledore, err… _allowed _him to act as a kind of lookout in the lake. Can't help, but he's got a spell to alert Dumbledore if something's going wrong." She held a finger to her lips.

"Don't tell anyone. He's going to try and avoid the scandal that inevitably comes up by remaining out of sight, so we'd like you two not to blow the whistle." Both nodded solemnly. They'd been forbidden to ever mention the 'Mermaid' incident once they'd been told.

It was hard not to laugh at it in private, though. He did look rather feminine.

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"The first place you want to go is Gringott's? Really?" Cooro asked as they walked down the nearly deserted alley. Both were adequately disguised, but it didn't help shake the feeling that they were being watched. Sirius didn't seem to be having that problem.

"Yeah. I have a second account under a fake name; we're going to collect some funds while we can." He walked confidentially, which was a bit at odds with his disguise; an older man with a beard. Cooro had only changed his hair; he wasn't as well-known as Sirius was.

They reached the doors, where Ministry guards stood around. Sirius nodded but made no other acknowledgement of their presence. Cooro smiled.

"Good morning." All he got was a blank look. He hurried past.

"That was creepy." Sirius glanced at him, shrugging.

"It was like that in the last war, too. People became so scared that they wouldn't even speak to strangers on the streets, so that they wouldn't be noticed." They got inside, and Sirius walked straight to a goblin that was free.

"I'd like to make a withdrawal from vault 828, please." The goblin barely looked at him, merely glancing at the key he'd held out and gesturing for another goblin to lead them.

The new goblin didn't say a word, and Cooro wondered if they didn't for the same reasons as the guards, and asked him. The goblin snorted.

"We have no reason to care about you humans or your wars. I don't speak because I have nothing to say to a wand-holder." Sirius gestured for him to leave it alone, but Cooro ignored it.

"If he gets as strong as he was, you _will_ be involved, whether you like it or not." The goblin started to retort, but Cooro continued.

"And while I know that it's unfair for us to restrict you from wands, that's no reason to hate the entire species." The goblin raised his brow, but said nothing more.

When they finally got to the surface, the goblin gave them both a long look before disappearing down the rows of desks. Sirius led them back out.

"You've made an impression. Usually they start ranting about goblin-made stuff that was never returned." Cooro stared at him in surprise.

"They steal it?" 

"Not in the sense you're thinking of, no. Goblin ideas of ownership are different than those of humans. We pay, keep it forever. They pay, give it back at death." He was about to say more when Cooro held up a hand and gestured at his pocket.

The paper showed a goblet ("Hufflepuff; see the badge?"), and it was in a pocket. As it panned back, the pocket was showed to be that of…

"Malfoy."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Three**

**A.N. **Normally, I wouldn't bother with this, but something in the last chapter annoyed me. If any one of you noticed that the finger scene didn't really flow with the rest, well… you're right. I meant for that to be earlier, but completely spaced. So it got spliced in. I don't like how it turned out, but that's how it is.

Also, I know a few of you were interested in the Veil thing. I didn't really explain it, mostly because there was nowhere to put it, but if any of you are curious enough, message me and I'll give you the whole thing.

Okay, I'm done.

Sirius, Cooro knew, was rather impulsive. In fact, he barely thought out his plans at all, merely going with the flow and letting things come.

So when they spotted Malfoy walking down the alley, alone, Cooro already knew that Sirius wasn't going to stop and think. He grabbed the back of his robes quickly, just as the man lurched forward.

"Wait! What are you going to do?" Sirius didn't turn around, simply kept watching the man carefully.

"Knock him out. Take the cup thing. Leave." Cooro shook his head. At least this was something he could do.

"Stay." Sirius blinked, and looked back, but Cooro was already gone, walking towards Malfoy briskly. As he did so, he looked down, reaching into his bag, not watching where he was going…

BAM!

"Oh, I'm so sorry… wasn't looking where I was going… stupid me, being so distracted…" Cooro was babbling, pulling himself and his bag off of Malfoy clumsily. Malfoy looked furious.

"You insolent Mudblood! Get off of me!" Cooro finally managed to scramble off, holding out a hand to help the older man up. It was ignored. He stood up, glaring, and strode off angrily. Cooro walked back to Sirius. They didn't speak until they had everything they needed and were back at Grimmauld Place.

"What the _hell_ did you think you were doing? Do you realize that he wouldn't hesitate to kill you?" Cooro looked down, trying to hide his grin.

It didn't work.

"What's so funny?" Cooro began to laugh, barely managing to choke out an answer.

"You…. Sound… like…. _Mrs. Weasley!" _

It took several minutes, which included an impromptu wrestling match, Kreacher's appearance, and the screeching of the portraits in the hall to calm them down after that.

"So… what was the point of that show earlier?" Sirius asked later, as they both sat down in the living room. Kreacher had cleaned, surprisingly well, and the room was almost comfortable to be in.

Cooro raised an eyebrow.

"If you don't know, why did you rush out of there?" Sirius laughed, a bit darkly.

"You just royally pissed off a well-known Death Eater with a bad temper. In a time of war. Personally, I don't think dying is the best way to finish this mission-thing." Cooro laughed, and pulled out an object wrapped in dark cloth.

"Reckon he's noticed he has a rock yet?"

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Ron was enjoying his fame, Husky noted lightly as they sat in the Common Room. Ron was currently retelling the tale again, with so many embellishments that Husky wasn't entirely sure he could find the truth in it at all.

Beside him, Nana shook her head. She wasn't as amused as he was by it all.

"It's not like people don't know he's making most of it up. They just like a good story." Husky scoffed.

"I doubt it. People here seem to be rather gullible." As there were still four people flying around part canary, courtesy of the Weasley twins, she couldn't exactly disagree with that. Neville and Hermione walked over and sat down. Neville was concentrating on a book, and Hermione looked annoyed.

"Honestly, he should lay off. They'll figure out eventually that he's making it all up."

Harry wasn't with them. He was looking for something in the library, a practice that most of them had taken up lately, hoping to find some useful spells for when the third challenge was announced.

Harry knew he should be studying, but the map had said that Remus Lupin and Senri were in the Headmaster's office, and he was, by nature, very curious.

He put the map away when he got near the room, slipping as close as he dared to the door and waiting. He wasn't entirely sure what he could find out, but it was worth a try, right?

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"There was another found?" Remus looked at Dumbledore curiously. He kept them both in the loop, even though they weren't helping. When asked, he'd said it was the least he could do, considering all that had happened.

"In a sense. I have found, within several memories, that Riddle managed to get a cup belonging to Hufflepuff and the diadem of Ravenclaw. This is in addition to the diary, the ring and what I believe was his snake." Remus was silent, but Senri spoke.

"Five?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"Seven. The one in his body counts as another, and there is another we have not discovered. Added to that, the one I believe Harry has makes eight."

"So many…" Remus shuddered, thinking about the sheer number of deaths and spells that had contributed to the Horcruxs.

"And rather hard to trace."

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Harry watched as both Senri and Remus exited the office, walking briskly towards the front hall. He followed, wondering how neither noticed him as he did so. Perhaps the news was distracting?

He realized they were speaking, and tried to get closer without tipping them off.

_What a time to forget the Invisibility Cloak…_

Finally, he managed to catch a bit of what it was.

"… relics of the founders… Voldemort… diadem of Ravenclaw? Why…" At that moment, a wave of people came through the corridor, and Harry was swept with them, passing the other two and barely managing a wave in their direction before he was gone.

Later, he sat discussing it with the others, and, unsurprisingly, Hermione had an idea what it was about.

"The diadem is lost, Harry. It was Ravenclaw's and said to bestow cast knowledge and wisdom on the wearer. If He found it, it would be bad." Husky leaned back, examining the ceiling as he spoke.

"It sounds, from the very little you heard, more like he's using it for something else. Other relics… like the sword, I suppose. What else could there be?" Neville answered immediately.

"There are two from Slytherin, and one from Hufflepuff. They belonged to old Wizarding families, but disappeared years ago. My gran heard about it," he added when the others looked at him. Harry shrugged.

"Well, that makes four, as he can't really have the sword. But what could they be _for?"_ Nana shook her head.

"We won't know unless someone tells us. All we can do is keep our eyes out for something like that. What's a diadem, anyway?"

Hermione launched into an explanation, while Harry looked over at Ron. He looked excited, as though they didn't have enough mysteries on their hands.

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"I can't believe you didn't think of this when we got here." Cooro muttered as they neared the building in front of them.

"Hush; I was a little distracted by the whole coming-back-to-life bit. Now, you stay out here, and I'll be right back."

"Why do I have to stay out here?" Sirius began walking in, through the side entrance concealed by several bushes and one lone tree.

"Family wards. Only blood can enter, and you'd need to know the spells anyway. You remember how to contact me if anything goes wrong?" Cooro nodded, and Sirius slipped through the entrance, while Cooro took residence in the tree, watching both the main and side entrance from the top branches.

Sirius snuck through the garden, watching for the house-elf. The family had left on holiday, and weren't due back for another two days, but Dobby could be a problem.

He encountered none, however, and continued inside, where another set of wards was dealt with. He shared enough blood with the Malfoys to get past, but the manor did not like him there.

The tracking spell he'd placed on Jerard was still active. He could barely believe that it was, but it was true. Somehow. The one on Pettigrew hadn't, unfortunately, passed on to Voldemort, but knowing that Jerard was inside the Malfoy manor made it fairly obvious where the bulk of the Death Eaters were meeting.

He made it inside the dining room. Even from the doorway, he could feel the dark magic that had been practiced there, and recently. This was the place, then. He pulled two orbs from his pocket, and placed one on the wall. It sunk in, melding into the stone and disappearing from sight. He did the same with the other, on the underside of the table.

The orbs transmitted sound, so they'd know what was being planned while he and Cooro hunted down the diadem and the snake. He only hoped that they wouldn't run a spell on the room. There was no way to ward the orbs to be undetectable without either ruining the spell or setting off the house wards.

_Moony could do it._ He shook his head, ignoring the voice, and turned to leave.

Only to find his cousin, Narcissa Malfoy, watching him from the doorway.

He froze, staring at her grey eyes. She wasn't supposed to be here! They were supposed to be gone.

_Stupid to believe rumors. Should have checked. Why would they leave people like that alone in their home? Would Voldemort even let them leave?_

He moved to draw his wand, though she already had hers out and it was too late. Maybe he could warn Cooro…

She held up a hand, glanced around, and beckoned for him to follow. He followed, confused. She was silent, gliding like a ghost in her dressing gown, not making a sound. It was a Black trait, he noted absently, this silent walking thing.

She led him to a door, opened it, and pushed him through. It led outside. He turned, face in a question, but she shook her head, pulling her ear and nodding back inside.

_They can hear. _She then handed over a piece of parchment and closed the door. He ran off to the exit, grabbing Cooro and Apparating away before something else could happen.

"What was that about? You're acting like you saw a ghost. Which isn't all that bad, but still…" Cooro watched him carefully, eyeing the paper in his hands.

"My cousin was there. She saw me."

"You escaped?" He shook his head, sprawling onto the couch.

"She let me go. Gave me a parting gift, too." He opened the parchment and read it aloud.

"_Sirius,_

_You should know better than to sneak onto private property. Didn't you think we would up the security after all that's happened?_

_To make this short, my husband and I are trying to get out of Voldemort's grasp. As he has his meetings in our home, this is rather difficult, but there is some we can do._

_Voldemort has Horcruxs. We were to destroy one, but it was stolen in Diagon Alley. Hopefully you have better luck in tracing it than we did. It is Hufflepuff's cup._

_There are others, but I only know that one is the snake, Nagini, and another is hidden at Hogwarts._

_Do not try and contact me or anyone else. As you read this, I am wiping my memory of the event. I hope you accomplish your task, and free us all._

_Narcissa Malfoy_

_P.S. Was it you that left the cote about Pettigrew two years back? And how are you alive? I hope you stay alive to answer me; I do not like to be kept in the dark."_

Sirius read it over again, silently, registering the words slowly.

"Sounds like even his 'chief supporters' don't really support him. Why do you think they turned?" Cooro wasn't as surprised, most likely because he hadn't known Narcissa when she was young. She _never _asked for help.

"She… well, it might be that she sees him as a threat to her family. Narcissa is more loyal to Lucius than her cause. Even in school, she…" He shook his head.

"Well, the last two are in Hogwarts. Should we go there, or wait for Dumbledore to find it?" Sirius frowned, thinking of all the exploring they'd done within the school, and how much they'd felt they missed.

"There are thousands of places to hide the diadem. I can think of several that I'd use if I had to pick… Dumbledore hasn't heard of plenty of them, or he hasn't guessed that one is there." He hit the cushions beside him in annoyance.

"If we could just _tell _them! Something! Anything! Even if it was just that we've gotten to two of them." He groaned in frustration. Cooro looked out the window at the stars, noticing the full moon, and almost missed the next part of what Sirius was saying.

"I bet I know where it is, too." Cooro glanced back at him.

"Where?" Sirius gave him a wry grin.

"Where else do you go when you need to hide things? The patented Room of Requirement Hiding Place. You even need anything, it's probably somewhere inside."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Four**

They were sitting at the Gryffindor table, eating breakfast, when Luna walked up to them and sat down next to Ginny. Ginny looked over at her, excited.

"So you got the photo, then?" Luna nodded, smiling dreamily, and opened her bag, pulling one out. Hermione looked over.

"Photo of what?" Ginny explained quickly, looking at the photo.

"Of the statue of Ravenclaw in their Common Room. Her dad is making a model of the diadem." The others froze, looking at each other. Harry leaned forward.

"Can I see?" Luna handed it over, speaking as she did so.

"It's supposed to bring wisdom to the wearer." She continued, but only Nana was really listening. The others were grouped around, looking at the picture.

"So he looking for that thing?" Ron muttered to Harry. He nodded. They handed the photo back, resolving to talk about it later.

Later, it turned out, didn't come, as they were too busy training Harry for the upcoming challenge to pay attention to it.

_Besides, Dumbledore already knows what it looks like, I'll bet. He'll probably find it alone._

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"Remind me why this is all necessary again?" Cooro asked, peering into the potions depths curiously. Sirius barely looked at him.

"The listening devices only work if you have the opposite set with you. So we need to make those." Cooro frowned, before sighing.

"I don't get it…" Sirius tossed another ingredient in, some silvery hairs, before looking at him. Cooro grinned back, but it was sad.

"I didn't even finish second year. I'm pretty useless." Sirius blinked, obviously adding up the little he knew of before and coming to the same conclusion. He, however, wasn't downcast. Instead he looked rather eager.

"Well, I'll just have to teach you, won't I?" Cooro gave him a dubious look.

"Why?" Sirius grinned again.

"Moony bet me, back in sixth year, that I couldn't teach someone to do anything. When this is over, he'll owe me ten galleon!"

He went back to the Potion, planning what Cooro would have to learn, and Cooro watched as the mess inside the cauldron bubbled.

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Remus flopped backwards, sighing. Beside him, Senri sat down as well, no more coordinated than the bear he had received his Anima from. They both had been out on a long mission, and had only just arrived.

Trying to find the Death Eater's meeting place. Again. Remus was fairly sure that Dumbledore was doing it as a training exercise for Senri, as he was new to the field. Remus' specialty was in diplomacy with various species, not hunting down loose rumors.

This time, they'd been looking into the aura of magic that had rapidly surrounded a small neighborhood nearby. Remus knew the area well; it was Grimmauld Place. The wards were still up, and functioning properly, however. And as the only living Blacks left were accounted for (one in Azkaban, the other in France), they'd dismissed it as odd but not Death Eaters.

"The magic around wasn't dark, even. Probably the house elf's cleaning went wrong, or something." He didn't like not knowing, but there were other things to do, so they'd left it.

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Harry groaned. McGonagall was having remedial Transfiguration in her classroom for the next few weeks, and all others were off-limits for various other reasons. He needed to practice!

Reaching the dorm, he almost flopped onto the bed when he noticed it was already occupied.

"Dobby?" The house-elf jumped, looking at him with excitement.

"Harry Potter is early! Dobby has good news for him!" He was bouncing in excitement.

"What is it?" Harry put his things away carefully, watching the house-elf.

"Dobby knows a place Harry Potter can practice his spells!"

It was a great place to practice his spells. He knew that immediately upon entering the room.

"What is this place, Dobby?"

"House-elves call it the Come-and-Go-Room, sir. It becomes what you need it to be. Dobby brings Winky here sometimes, when she is drunk." Harry didn't ask; the elf had been rather depressed since she had 'left' Mr. Crouch.

"Thanks, Dobby. This is exactly what I needed."

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"Come on, concentrate!" Sirius was trying not to get annoyed with the boy in front of him, but was having trouble. Cooro was easily distracted, and had a tendency of abruptly listing something out the window instead of the incantation.

_Maybe Moony was right…_

Cooro was trying to focus, he really was, but their was something about this spell that struck him wrong…

Sirius had already told him that changing the spells could cause permanent damage to himself and anything nearby.

"Including me, so try and stick to what I tell you, okay?" Well, he was trying, but he couldn't force himself to spout out a spell that felt so off. Finally, he stopped, looking up at Sirius.

"I can't do it…" Sirius sighed, preparing to tell him that they could do something simpler, when he continued.

"It doesn't feel right."

"What?" Cooro set his wand down, and pointed at the book Sirius had brought out for him to learn from.

"It feels wrong… like the incantation is off or something. Can I try it my way?" Sirius almost shook his head, was almost reasonable…

And then he remembered that some of the best things the Marauders had ever done were from changing things up a bit. Slowly, he nodded, and stepped back. The spell was for setting up a ward on a building. A simple one, but a fairly effective warning system.

Cooro looked at the doorway he was supposed to be warding, cleared his head, and murmured the spell, with his own changes.

The ward sprang into existence, glowing a fierce blue.

It was supposed to be invisible. Cooro frowned through it at Sirius.

"Is that a good thing?" Sirius poked it carefully with his finger, then fired a charm at it. Nothing. He grinned.

"It's _very_ good."

Through careful experimentation, and a few mishaps, Sirius realized exactly what had happened.

"You changed the spell into something more powerful, to put it bluntly. I think that it's all the energy you've got stowed up from not using any spells. We'll see what it effects as we work, but I want you to at least try and do the original spell first, okay?"

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Harry ran as fast as he could, wishing he had wings to aid him. Filch was behind him, screaming about '_Students out of bed!'_ and was gaining. Abruptly, he realized he was by the Come-and-Go-Room, and began to pace in front of it frantically.

_I need a place to hide… I need a place to hide… I need a place to hide… _Bingo! The door appeared, and he slipped inside.

Inside was a maze of objects. Furniture, books, cauldrons. Harry was fairly sure he could smell food inside as well. He glanced at his watch, only to find it was still broken from the lake challenge. He shrugged, and began to walk through the room.

Some time later, he wasn't sure how long, he walked past an ugly bust with a wig. Atop his head was a tiara.

_Wait a minute…_

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Husky looked out the window, a frown on his face. Nana looked at him curiously from across the chess board.

"What is it?" He looked back at her, shrugging a bit.

"Nothing. I thought I heard something is all." She looked a bit doubtful, but let it go.

"If you say so. Now, there's a Hogsmeade trip coming up soon. Do you want to go?"

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"What was that?" Remus almost jumped, as Senri spoke from behind him.

"What was what?" Senri looked at him in confusion.

"That sound. Like a voice. Like the Veil." Remus frowned, confused.

_Sirius tackled Pettigrew, forcing him through the Veil…_

"I didn't hear anything. Maybe it's your imagination?" He didn't sound convinced, even as he said this.

_Peter reached out…_

Senri shook his head.

"I don't think so."

_Grabbed Cooro…_

"Well, I'm not sure. Did you hear any words? Or perhaps the voice itself?"

_They all went through…_

Senri shook his head.

_Pettigrew went first._

"No… it was a whisper. I think it was a man, but that's all I could tell."

_Pettigrew went first._

"A man…"

_Pettigrew went first! His blood was in the Potion!_

"Or a boy, but that's all I could really tell." Remus shrugged.

"Well, there's little we can do. If you hear something again, tell me." Senri nodded, and they went back to eating. Remus was distracted, however.

_Pettigrew went first._

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"What does that spell do?" Cooro asked, looking at the one Sirius had told him to cast three minutes before.

"Sends out a call to your loved ones. Usually ones of the same gender, or your love. Yours was weak, though, so I doubt any of them heard it." Cooro frowned.

"Then why'd you have me cast it?" Sirius lead the way to the kitchens, where Kreacher waited for them.

"It's a good practice spell. And it ties into another one later."

"What one?" Sirius winked at him, grinning.

"That would be telling, wouldn't it?"

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Harry ran, as fast as he could, to Dumbledore's office, yelling out the password quickly. It opened as he reached it, and he bolted through, barging through the inner door to find Dumbledore talking to Remus and Moody.

Here he paused, not knowing what to expect from them. Remus saw what he held, and looked amazed. Dumbledore was unreadable. Moody, however, had a very confused look on his face. Harry thought quickly.

"Sorry to barge in, sir, but I have something for you. Professor McGonagall sent me with it; she's having Remedial Transfiguration." Moody's face cleared, and he turned back to the others.

"Well, I must be going then. No doubt you have a lot to talk about." Remus frowned, looking bewildered, but Moody had already walked out of the room. Harry could hear the outer door closing behind him.

"How did you find this, Harry?" He blinked, remembering his place. Albus was watching him closely. He looked at them sheepishly.

"I heard Senri and Remus talking about it when they left last time. And just now, I found it in the Room of Requirement." Remus laughed a bit.

"You would manage to discover that one. Remind me later to tell you how we found it. Right good story, that." He laughed again, but Harry could see a slight bit of sadness in his eyes.

_Probably thinking of Sirius._

"This is an extraordinary turn of events. I would ask you to stay, but-" Remus looked at him.

"You're not suggesting that we keep him out of this any longer, are you? He's got a foot in this already; it's only fair to tell him!" Dumbledore responded, but Harry didn't hear him.

_Why not leave? Take the diadem with you. They'll take it, you know. It gives wisdom. That's the only reason they're looking for it._ He shook his head, trying to clear out the voice, but it persisted.

_Come on. It'll be helpful in the tournament. They can have it later. It's not like you're doing anything wrong. You did find it, not them. _Harry tried to focus on the adults in front of him, but they were fading, somehow. Like a mist…

_You'll be able to beat Hermione in classes, too. Prove how smart you really are._ That was the breaker.

Harry stood, holding the diadem and trying to see in front of him. It cleared, and he could see Remus and Albus watching him in confusion. His head began to ache.

He reached forward, towards the desk, trying to find it. His other hand reached behind him for the chair.

His hand grasped the ruby handle. His other hand let go.

With a cry, he swung it onto the diadem, and cracked it in half. A strange white thing seemed to hiss out of the edges, before screaming and floating out of the room. Remus quickly stepped forward, moving the pieces and catching Harry when he began to stagger.

Helping him into the chair again, he looked at Dumbledore, one eyebrow raised. Dumbledore sighed.

"I believe I have no choice, though I wish I did. Please get comfortable, Harry, this is a long tale to tell."

He was right. By the time everything had been explained, it was dawn. Remus left temporarily to get them all something to eat, and Harry sat silently, thinking. Dumbledore examined the diadem.

"He went after them because of a Prophesy? One he didn't even fully understand?" The headmaster nodded, looking at him.

"And he made all these… Horcruxs, to keep himself from dying?"

"It would appear so. I believe that he made seven. Three are gone, two due your own actions." Harry noted absently that, in any other situation, that would sound like a reprimand.

Remus returned, loaded with food, and set it down on the desk. Harry looked up, with one more question.

"You said there may be one in me. How can we get rid of it, and still let me kill him?" Remus winced a bit, wishing that what he'd just said didn't sound so hopeless.

Like he'd already given up.

"I have a theory, of course, and they tend to be accurate, but there is no way to be sure." He hesitated, and Harry snapped.

"Just say it!" Then he covered his mouth, eyes wide.

"I- I didn't mean-" Albus shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. As to your question, I believe that if Voldemort tries to kill you again, it may destroy the Horcrux instead." Remus stepped forward, kneeling in front of Harry's chair and watching him carefully.

"We will look into every possibility first, Harry. We are not going to simply send you against him on a whim, okay?" Harry met his eyes, searching them. Remus met his gaze honestly.

Finally, Harry nodded. Dumbledore smiled, though it was bit strained.

"Now, I believe you are training for the third challenge?"


	5. Chapter 5

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Five**

Sirius listened carefully, writing something down now and again. Cooro was watching the parchment, and let out an exclamation of surprise. Sirius looked up, to find Cooro grinning at him. He held out the paper.

"Look." He did so, to see his grandson destroying an ornate diadem, with Dumbledore and Remus behind him. Dumbledore looked startled, but Remus looked grimly pleased.

"Wonder why…" Sirius was about to say more, but something came through the spell that made them both look at it.

"Yes, my Lord. The spy reports that Crouch has been… taken care of." A hissing voice responded.

"Good. And the plan?" The first person, who sounded like Jerard, answered.

"Going perfectly. Everything is in order for the third task." Sirius grabbed his quill, and began to write everything they'd said down. There was little else to write; apparently there was another meeting place they used for most of their planning, and they'd only caught bits and pieces from their listening spells.

The two went silent. Cooro supposed they'd left the room. Sirius leaned back, eyeing what they'd collected over the past few days. Not much.

"All we know is that there is _something_ going on during the third task, that it involves Harry, and there's a spy in Hogwarts!" Sirius exclaimed, exasperated.

"And that they killed Mr. Crouch," Cooro pointed out quietly. Sirius' temper was short these days. Sirius nodded absently.

"His son was arrested for being a Death Eater, along with my cousin and a few others." He was about to speak again when Kreacher came in, holding the paper. The Black family had had a subscription for years; it hadn't ever stopped coming.

"Master and young master should see this." He handed it over, and almost left when Cooro called out to him.

"Stay. Come on, sit down." He gestured at the couch. Kreacher stared at him, before looking at Sirius. Sirius nodded, looking at the paper. His eyes widened as he read the article on the front page. He read aloud as they all sat down.

"_Mass Break-Out of Azkaban. Prisoners include the Lestranges, the…"_ he stopped, and looked up at both of them.

"Bellatrix. My cousin." Kreacher looked up.

"Miss Bella is not in Azkaban?" Sirius shook his head, looking down at the paper. Then, slowly, he looked up again.

"Kreacher. I have an idea. One that will help us finish Regulus' mission. Will you help?"

Cooro had never seen anyone agree to something as fast as Kreacher did.

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Harry walked back to the Tower slowly. Walking next to him was Remus.

"I can teach you, if you want, Harry." Remus broke the silence. He looked back at him.

"Teach me what?"

"Spells. Charms and hexes, things that'll be useful later in the task." Harry frowned.

"And later?" Remus sighed.

"If you want, I can also help with dueling practice. If you have a life or death situation." They stopped walking. Harry nodded, grinning suddenly.

"I need all the help I can get!" Remus smiled. They started down the hall once more, when Harry stopped again.

"What should I tell the others?" Remus gave him a look.

"My honest opinion, or Dumbledore's?" Harry chuckled a bit.

"Both."

"Dumbledore would want you to make your own decision. If it was him, I believe that he would give a few bits, but not the whole story."

"Why?"

"For the same reason he didn't want you to know about all of this yet. The burden is sometimes too much to bear." Harry nodded, absorbing it. He raised an eyebrow at him.

"And you?" Remus began to walk.

"I would tell them. And invite them to our training sessions. It'll be useful, when the time comes."

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Bellatrix relaxed into the couch, smiling. In front of her was Dark Lord, who had given her permission to sit. It was worthy of celebration.

He was about to outline the plan when there was a crack. Standing in the room was a house-elf. He bowed in front of them.

"Miss Bella. Dark Lord." Bella shot up, eyeing the elf.

"Bellatrix. Who is this?" He didn't look happy. Then again, he rarely did.

"Kreacher. My aunts house-elf. She's dead, the entire line is. Kreacher, what are you doing here?" Kreacher looked up.

"Kreacher read paper, saying Miss Bella is free. Miss Bella is only Black left in need of house-elf. Kreacher came to help." Bellatrix looked back at Voldemort, who smiled at her. It sent chills down her spine.

"Why not? This place is filthy."

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Nana swooped around again, circling the Tower without entering it. Harry had told them everything, and Remus would be giving them lessons in spells and hexes. It was a lot to take in.

She sighed, wanting to talk to Husky, but wanting to stay outside as well.

_I want to talk to Cooro._ The thought came abruptly, and made her pause, nearly falling out of the sky as she realized what she'd thought.

_Stop it! He's dead, like Sirius. They're not coming back, no matter how much you want them to._

But that didn't stop her from crying her eyes out, landing on the Astronomy Tower and screaming out her pain to the moon while the rain fell around her, hiding her tears and masking the cries from her throat.

From the Forest, a pair of watchful eyes disappeared into the gloom.

She went back inside, through the Common Room, and was promptly dragged in by Husky, who had a blanket around her shoulders and her in a seat by the fire before she could blink.

"Are you crazy? It's pouring out, and you're flying around? You could get seriously hurt one of these days!" He stood in front of her, and she stared at him for a long moment. The anger faded from his face, and she reached forward, pulling him next to her while she cried into his shoulder.

"I miss him." Husky didn't need to ask. He only held Nana closer, murmuring quietly.

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It was the night before the third task. Sirius and Cooro were practicing the Patronus charm.

"What's your happiest memory?" Cooro asked as he took a break, drinking some water. Sirius grinned at him. He'd made good progress.

"Day I told Moony the truth." he didn't elaborate, and Cooro didn't ask him. They continued to work, until it was nearly noon, and Sirius glanced out the window.

"Wish we could go to the Tournament. Just to see Harry, and the others. I'm his godfather, for Merlin's sake, and I've never even talked to him!" Cooro leaned forward.

"It's not your fault. And as soon as we finish all of this, you can see him again! And you won't even have to worry about Death Eaters this time!"

Sirius shook his head, but looked a bit better.

"Still, he's fourteen. I was only there sporadically through the first year! He doesn't even remember that!"

"He's not going to die at twenty-eight, you know. You've got plenty of time." Sirius wondered absently when this kid had become so logical.

A crack filled the room, and Kreacher was standing in front of them, looking pleased and worried.

"Kreacher heard their plans! The Triwizard cup is a Portkey, to lead the winner to a graveyard in Little Hangleton." Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"And who is the winner supposed to be?"

"Harry Potter."

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity, with pacing and planning and panic.

"The task has already started! We'll barely have enough to get to the graveyard in time!" Sirius grumbled to himself as he and Cooro collected a few things from the house. He scribbled something on a paper, waved his wand, and it vanished.

He grabbed Cooro's arm and Apparated away, to an old abandoned house.

"Gaunt's. Descendants of Slytherin, you know. They're all dead, anyway. This was easiest to reach; we can get to the graveyard from here." They began to run, staying just out of sight of the village.

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Harry ran through towards the Cup, reaching out for the handle…

"Potter!" he turned, and dove to the side as an Ancromactula nearly caught him in its pincers. Cedric was running his way, wand out.

"_Stupefy!"_ His spell bounced off, and Harry dodged again as the spider dove for him.

"Come one, on three! One, two… _three! Stupefy!" _Cedric's spell and his hit at once, and the spider fell away, stunned.

Harry glanced at Cedric, who looked back, before they both ran for the Cup.

At the exact same second, both of their hands touched the handle.

Harry felt a jerk behind his naval, and the maze disappeared.

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"Where are they? Where'd they go?" Nana was panicking. Husky was trying to calm her, but inside, he was worried as well. Where _had _they vanished to?

"Come on, you lot. We're going to see Dumbledore, right now." Remus, the Weasleys and Hagrid lead the six children along to where Dumbledore was, standing at the bottom of the stands.

"What's going on, Albus?" He shook his head, frowning.

"I do not know; and it is that lack of knowledge that worries me deeply."

The silence, Husky noted, was nearly deafening. A Beauxbatons student walked up, holding a piece of parchment. She handed it to Dumbledore.

"This was delivered to your office. A house elf brought it down." She walked away without another word.

_That was rude._ Hermione thought, forcing down her own panic on Harry's whereabouts so she could think. Blind terror wouldn't serve her here, not a bit. She clutched her wand tighter as Dumbledore read the note aloud.

"_Voldemort has a spy in Hogwarts. Seal school; Death Eaters to follow. _That is all there is; no name." Dumbledore looked even more worried than before, but shook his head.

"Remus, I want you to go and get as many of the Order members as you possibly can. Anyone that isn't already here. Molly, please find those that are in the crowds, and tell them to meet in my office. I must speak to the staff." Both nodded and left. Dumbledore began to walk away when Ron spoke up.

"What about us?" He looked back at them.

"All students are to be evacuated to the school. That includes you all." Nana glared, annoyed.

"You're asking us to sit there while you're in danger? That's ridiculous!" Dumbledore didn't seem to appreciate being reprimanded.

"I assure you, it is not."

"I don't mean for us to be on the front lines, but we're more useful out here than inside the castle." Husky decided to jump in quickly.

"It's not like we haven't seen some bad things, don't try and be protective. We're not children, no matter our age. Not anymore." He said this with such conviction that even Nana looked at him in surprise. Albus sighed.

"I will consider it. At the moment, I have more pressing issues. Nana, at least, can be helpful at the moment." he turned to her, ignoring the others' looks of annoyance.

"Go to McGonagall, and explain what is going on. Ask for a protection spell, and then monitor the skies and borders. We'll need to know the moment they arrive." She nodded, and was off. The others followed behind as their Headmaster walked away.

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Sirius had been right to worry about being so late. By the time they'd arrived at the graveyard, there were already many dark figures, apparently preparing for whatever was to happen.

"No shields or wards, though… they're not expecting anyone to find them." Sirius muttered before they got too close to speak. The night set in, and a voice began to speak from the crowd.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Ties that Bind, Chapter Six**

"My allies. I welcome you, to the last day of Harry Potter! The last day of Dumbledore's foolish hope of defeating me! The beginning of the reign of Lord Voldemort!" Neither of them could see who was speaking (isn't it obvious?), but Sirius growled.

He gestured for Cooro to follow him, both slipping backwards through the shadows to where they could speak.

"Hit as many as you can with the delay spell. Stay still, I'll Disillusion you." Cooro did as he asked, and both went back forward again. He was nervous. Very nervous.

_I haven't had enough practice yet. I'm gonna screw up…_ He shook his head determinedly, erasing his doubts. He could do it perfectly fine back at Grimmauld Place, he should be ale to do it here, when it was important!

He drew his wand, crossed his fingers, and cast the spell.

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Harry hit the ground hard, feeling the edge of something made of stone as he hit the ground. A groan came from somewhere on his left, and he turned that way, opening his eyes.

Cedric pulled himself up, holding his hand out for Harry to grab as he looked around. They were surrounded by people in black cloaks. He reached for his wand.

"Don't think of it, Potter!" A woman's harsh voice rang out, and his wand flew out of his hand to one of the figures. He saw another go past, and figured it was Cedric's.

Another voice spoke, from amidst the crowd.

"Ah- Harry Potter. So glad to see you again." He turned to face the new person, hoping he was wrong about who it was.

He wasn't.

Lord Voldemort himself emerged from the crowd of people, grinning evilly at him. He noticed Cedric standing behind him, and his smile widened.

"You've brought a friend! How delightful." He held out his hand, and Bellatrix (the harsh voice from before) handed over Harry's wand. He examined it carefully.

"I do hope you didn't make any appointments for later." He knew, he _knew_ he shouldn't speak, but Harry was his father's son, after all.

"I do, actually. With a very pretty girl, you know. So I'm afraid you'll have to make this quick."

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Sirius laughed when he heard Harry, then groaned. Underneath the laughter and talking of the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, his voice wasn't heard.

"He's started to monologue. Doesn't he know how cliché that is?" Cooro wondered how he could be so calm, but cast another spell instead. It split, hitting two of the Death Eaters at once.

"Come on, he's going to act soon. Remember the activation spell?" Cooro nodded.

"Right then. _Activarte!"_ They both yelled at the same time. Bursts of blue light hit the various Death Eaters they'd jinxed earlier, and they fell. The others turned to see what was going on, and Harry and Cedric were forgotten.

Sirius was already transforming, bounding through the people to where Harry and Cedric were. Cooro ran through as well, bumping into Bellatrix while she ran the other way. In his black cloak, he didn't stand out from the mess of Death Eaters.

Sirius was human again, defending the boys from the few Death Eaters that had wised up. Voldemort wasn't among them, thankfully. Both of them stood there, confused, until Cooro reached them, handing over their wands. Again, with the cloak, neither knew who he was.

"What…" Sirius groaned. Their plan depended on the element of surprise, and it was wearing off fast.

"Harry! Grab the pretty boy and go already! Use the Cup!" Harry jumped, and did as he was told, running to where the Cup lay on the ground. Only when he'd already grabbed it, making sure Cedric did as well, did something penetrate his mind.

"Sirius..?" Then they were both gone, whisked away into the darkness.

Voldemort's angry yells were loud enough to wake the entire village of Little Hangleton.

"Time to go, kid." Sirius muttered, grabbing Cooro's arm and Apparating away, just as a burst of green light flew at them.

Cooro glanced around.

"Where are we?" Sirius beckoned for him to follow, walking down the hall of the house they'd landed in. It had seen better days.

"The Shrieking Shack. There's a tunnel that leads to the school. If I'm right, Voldemort's army will be at Hogwarts as soon as he's able. We need to hurry." Cooro followed him.

"Were you hit by anything?" He asked, watching Sirius carefully.

"No, why?"

"You're limping." Sirius stopped, glancing at his leg. It was swelling, but not terribly.

"Nothing for it. I'll see what I can do about it later." They continued down the tunnel.

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Harry hit the ground hard, for the second time. He shot up, looking all around. For a moment, he thought they hadn't left, and reached for his wand, before realizing that they were at the entrance of the maze, and one of the people running at him was Remus.

"Harry! Cedric! Are you okay? What happened?" He reached them, helping Cedric to his feet. Harry looked around wildly.

"Where's Dumbledore? I need to tell him something!" Remus shook his head.

"You need to get inside. We're preparing for the Death Eater's arrival-"

"That's my point! There's one already here! There's a spy!" Remus was frozen for a moment, before grabbing his arm, and Cedric's, and dragging them away.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the Great Hall. Harry noticed that there were many people already here, and more were walking in from behind them.

"Dumbledore!" He looked up, and shock and relief flooded his face, before they both vanished. He strode over.

"They had a Portkey. Harry says there's a spy here." Dumbledore examined Harry's face carefully.

"What happened to the diadem?" Harry frowned, confused.

"I destroyed it with the sword. Sir, why is that-" Dumbledore sighed, relieved.

"I had to be sure you were not a Death Eater. Now, the spy?" Harry quickly babbled out what he'd heard from Voldemort.

"I see… I'll take care of it. Harry, you have to-"

"I am _not _leaving while you all risk your lives if you're going to suggest it." Remus chuckled, and cut in quickly.

"Dumbledore, I don't think you can convince him. I'd rather his stay out as well, but we can't help it." He began to walk away.

"One thing, Remus. What was Harry's Patronus?"

"A stag. I'll be back later; I'm going to patrol the grounds." He nodded, and Harry shook his head.

"Now, Mr. Diggory, we have two very concerned parents of yours to talk to."

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Remus began walking purposefully towards the Willow, readying the spells he'd need to ward the entrance. If this battle was going to be as bad as Dumbledore thought, they couldn't risk anyone coming through this way.

Reaching the tree, he began to cast, but was stopped almost immediately as two figures burst through. One of them left immediately, disappearing towards the castle, while the other stopped in front of Remus. The second figure was, coincidentally, the only reason he wasn't shooting curses at either of them.

"Remus! Whew, glad we made it here in time then; your wards are impossible to break!" He grinned, but Remus didn't react.

"Hey… Rem? You okay?" He took a step forward. Remus reacted swiftly, tackling him to the ground and putting his wand at Sirius' throat.

"Don't call me that. Don't you _dare _pretend you're him! He's dead!" In the back of his mind, a memory played.

_Pettigrew fell first._

Sirius stared up at Remus. Neither moved, until Sirius opened his mouth.

"The scar on your face wasn't caused by you in werewolf form. It was me. We didn't tell anyone about it, but it was me. Remember?" Remus blinked, before leaning back a bit.

"Sirius?" He nodded, and was engulfed in a hug. Remus was babbling out something, apologies and questions, before Sirius cut him off.

"I have a lot of explaining to do. But for now, we have a war to prepare for. Me n' Cooro just came from the graveyard with Harry. Voldemort's coming, with everything he's got."

Remus nodded, still looking a bit dazed, and spoke.

"Well, let's show them true Marauder mischief, shall we?"

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Cooro flew as fast as he could towards the castle, before remembering Sirius' instructions and banking hard left, back towards Hogsmeade. It was where the Death Eaters would most likely Apparate in, being so close to the grounds.

In the distance, he could see someone else flying in the sky. No, two. Or more… one definitely had wings, and the others were on brooms.

_Patrolling…_ He reached the village, and watched it carefully. Nobody was outside, despite the sun having barely set.

_Maybe Dumbledore sent messengers to the village earlier, so they know what to expect._ That would make sense.

There was no sign of Death Eaters here yet, though, which meant they were still preparing for their arrival. Cooro turned and began to fly back to the castle.

Looking back at himself, Cooro realized it was so dark that he could easily be mistaken for Nana from the ground.

_That's probably the only reason I haven't been shot down yet… But how am I going to tell them anything? They think that Voldemort got my powers, not Wormtail's._

He shook his head, disregarding the thoughts. The castle loomed ahead of him, and in front of it was a group of people in dark cloaks. They were watching him as he came in, wands raised.

That was when he noticed Nana among them.

He landed, a few meters away from them, not bothering to pull the hood back yet.

"They haven't reached Hogsmeade yet. Did you send messengers to the village, so they would know what was going on?" Dumbledore stepped forward. His expression was hard.

"Pull back your hood, if you please." Cooro looked at the wand. It wasn't glowing, like the others, but it was just as scary having it in your face, considering it's owner. He could practically _feel _the magic rolling off of it. Slowly, he reached up and pulled it back.

A spell came racing at him, and he only just managed to avoid it. Behind him, it hit a tree. He heard the wood creak loudly, as if the tree itself was groaning in pain. Before he could speak, three more were sent, from various directions. He could tell they would hurt, and drew his wand, throwing up his wards. The spells shattered against it.

"So, Tom, came in disguise? That isn't like you, not at all." Dumbledore walked forward, wand still up. Cooro stepped as far back as the ward would allow. Albus' eyes glared at him from behind his glasses.

"Hiding behind a ward isn't like you either." Somehow, Cooro got the feeling that Dumbledore didn't believe he was really Voldemort. He looked up at him.

"Sir… if I said I wasn't Voldemort, would you let me explain?" Dumbledore paused, but another voice spoke.

"It isn't him! It can't be; we all saw him fall through the Veil!" Nana stepped forward, glaring at him.

"We know that Voldemort would get the powers and memories of whoever was sacrificed. He's trying to get you to let down your defenses!" Cooro was surprised that it was Nana voicing this.

And dismayed. If nobody would listen to him, then he and Sirius were in deep trouble.

Someone was walking up from behind him, and he turned to look. Senri and Husky were both there, and as he turned, they stopped, staring. Husky's eyes roamed from Nana, to Dumbledore, back to Cooro, and around again. Senri's gaze didn't waver from the crow.

Husky walked around to where the others were standing, talking quietly to Nana, but Cooro continued to watch Senri. He began to walk forward.

Without thinking, Cooro let the ward down, letting Senri walk right through. He stepped closer, and closer, until he was directly in front of him.

Cooro was startled to note he didn't have to look up nearly as far to see him. Barely an inch of difference.

_Making up for the lost time in the Veil, maybe?_ Senri was looking at him oddly. Then, he reached out and pulled Cooro into a hug. Nana gasped loudly.

"Senri! He's not really Cooro!" Cooro smiled happily, reaching around to hug him back.

"Course I am, Nana. It's a fun story, too. Wanna hear it now, or after the war?" She glared at him, obviously not believing him. At that point, two more people ran into the courtyard. Senri let him go, and Cooro turned to look.

"Sirius! Is the tree warded up then?" Sirius grinned at him, gesturing at Remus behind him.

"Yup! Moony did most of it, really. I was never good at wards." He looked around at the others, who were regarding his entrance with shock and suspicion.

"Jeez. We manage to defy odds and come out of the Veil, and nobodies happy? I'm so disappointed…" he pretended to sob. Remus shook his head.

"Drama queen." Ignoring Sirius, he turned to Dumbledore.

"All of the secret entrances have been sealed. They'll have to come through the gates." Dumbledore nodded.

"Well, this is all very fun, but I'd rather be ready to kill my cousin when she arrives. If you'll excuse me?" He began to walk forward, towards the castle.

"Oh! One more thing." he turned back to look at the people, who were beginning to follow him inside.

"The Malfoys are on our side. Try not to kill them." Cooro looked at him, confused.

"Sirius, you're forgetting something-" He was cut off with a firm shake of the head. Instead, he followed the others into the castle.

Inside was a mess of activity. Teachers and random adults were talking, planning, casting spells on things, people ran in and out just as often. Sirius waited by the doors for the others to walk past, and muttered something to Dumbledore as he walked past.

"The snake and Harry are the only ones left. Our job is nearly done." Dumbledore looked at him, startled, then at Cooro, who was relaying everything that had happened at the graveyard.

"Cooro?" He looked up.

"Harry! Are you and Cedric okay? Sorry you had to go there; we didn't find out until a few minutes before it all happened. You were already in the maze." Harry stared at him.

"That was you?" He nodded, grinning.

"Yup! Me n' Sirius, anyway. Couldn't leave you alone with Voldemort like that; not really fair, is it?" Harry shook his head, bewildered. He looked over at Husky, who merely shrugged.

"Senri says it's Cooro. I see no reason to believe otherwise." Something in his eyes made Harry wonder if that was all it was.

_I doubt Senri said a thing. _But that wasn't important right now. Now, he had to figure out a way to get onto the battlefield to battle Voldemort without someone sending him back inside.

After all, Dumbledore said Riddle had to kill him himself to destroy the Horcrux. And if he couldn't believe Dumbledore, who could he believe?


	7. Chapter 7

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Seven**

"They're here!" Nana was yelling as she ran into the Great Hall, forcing the various people inside to look at her, then over to the windows in concern. The flurry of activity sped up, as everyone ran to their designated posts. The various children had places as well, firing curses and the like from the towers and windows.

Cooro noticed, even amidst the chaos, that Nana and Hermione were both rather suspicious of him. The others seemed to either believe what he'd said or were simply too preoccupied to think about it. He hoped it was the former.

Along side them were various older students who had refused to take refuge in the dungeons. The twins were among them.

"As if we'd go hide with the Slytherins when we could be out here, causing mayhem. I'm surprised they bothered asking!" Fred laughed heartily, before turning to the other students.

"Now, for your convenience, my brother and I have prepared a few spell ideas for you all. Feel free to use them." George handed out some pieces of parchment to everyone there, including the adults that were positioned with them. A woman with pink hair raised an eyebrow.

"Did you make these up yourself?" George gave her an offended look.

"Of course we did! How could we rest-"

"Knowing we were using someone _else's _spell?"

"Scandalous, that." They both shook their heads. Cooro laughed, pleased that some things hadn't changed while he'd been away. He shifted his hand a bit, pulling at the gloves that kept them warm and hid his missing finger.

_Oh!_ As subtly as possible, he slipped them off, before reaching to take one of the papers. Nana's eyes watched him carefully.

"Cooro… what's with your finger?" He looked at it. It was the same as before, but his hand had tanned since Sirius had created it, and the metal shone in the light.

"It's a replacement. Remember? It was chopped off into the potion?" He smiled at her, but his eyes were different. They were… sad. It was distressing that his friend didn't believe him.

"Oh…" She was silent, and they both turned to watch as a wave of black-cloaked people and creatures raced over the hillside, shooting colorful bolts of magic as they went.

"Ready? Fire!"

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Sirius couldn't help but laugh, despite what was going on around him. It wasn't every day you got to fight your psychotic cousin with your lover.

"Come on, Bella! You can do better than that!" Green raced past him, hitting a nearby tree. Remus groaned from his left.

"Honestly, Sirius, can't you just kill her and move on? We have more important things to worry about at the moment." He knocked out something (part-werewolf, perhaps? There was a lot of facial hair), and started on another.

"Where's the fun in that?" He dodged again, and sent a spell at her. Bellatrix didn't move in time, and went down, skin turning blue all the way.

"Where indeed…" He raised his wand, but a spell came racing from the air, hitting his target square in the chest. They were transformed into a slug, and began to belch out rainbows. Sirius stared at it for a moment, before laughing again.

"_That's _what that spell does? Brilliant!"

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Harry dodged an errant spell, and continued forward, towards where he could _feel _Voldemort. He was flanked by quite a few Death Eaters, but that problem could wait to be solved, really. Now, he had to find that snake…

"Harry!" He turned quickly, before remembering he had the Invisibility Cloak on. Someone was flying his way…

"Harry! I know you're there! Listen; the snake is by the Whomping Willow. Voldemort doesn't know that we've gotten to the Horcruxs yet, so hurry! Here!" Cooro threw something to the ground, before soaring back to the sky and heading the way Harry'd been heading: straight into danger.

He scooped up the thing Cooro had dropped; it was a long dagger, with a strange crest on it. He shrugged, and began to run, towards the tree.

Around it were a few Order members, who were preparing something. The snake was slithering through the grass towards them. He ran forward.

"_Wait…"_ He spoke quietly, so the others wouldn't be startled.

_And so they won't kill you. Death isn't the best idea right now._

The snake stopped, looking back at him. It began to head his way, fangs glistening with what he was sure was a deadly venom. He drew out the dagger. The snake lunged. He swung.

The fangs scraped his skin, but didn't break it. Nagini's head fell to the ground. He sighed, before straightening up and beginning to walk back to the main battle.

"Who goes there?" He turned, half-raising the dagger again, to find six people pointing wands at him. One of them was Snape.

_Must be a Potion they're making then…_ He pulled back the cloak a bit, enough for his face to be visible.

"Potter? What are you-" He pulled it into place again.

"No time; I have a mission to fulfill. See you at the after-party." Ignoring the disgusted look he was given, he began the long trek to where Voldemort awaited him.

_Please let Dumbledore be right about this._

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Voldemort knew, far before he got there, that Harry was on his way. He decided to kill time by dueling the Black heir. Sirius, for the record, was holding up well, but Voldemort was a powerful wizard, and his reflexes would only keep him safe for so long. Remus (and Mrs. Weasley, for some reason) was being held back by three Death Eaters.

Well, two, really. One of them appeared to be a hag with a wig on. He dodged again, feeling the spell leave a burning pain on his cheek.

"Well, Black, it seems your luck is finally running out." He sent another, hitting Sirius square in the chest. As he flew backwards, several voices were screaming.

_Funny, this seems familiar…_

When he awoke, it was to find Remus above him, and a bright blue shield surrounding him.

"Remus..? What happened?" Remus' eyes were filled with tears.

"Harry… he got hit, right after you. It was only a Stunner, but he ran into the fight, and… he's dead." Sirius sat up like a shot, looking all around. Inside the shield were random people from the fight, including Senri and Cooro. Why they'd been on the field at all was anyone's guess.

"Harry's… dead?" Remus nodded, already nervous about the light in Sirius' eyes.

"No. No, not again. I refuse to let it end like that! We're taking him down, and we're doing it now. Where's Dumbledore?" Wordlessly, he pointed. Sirius stood and marched over.

"Albus-" Dumbledore turned, teary-eyed, but determined.

"We're going to wait, Sirius. I believe we have one more trick up our sleeves, and if I'm right, we don't have much longer."

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Harry groaned, shifted, and sat up, looking at the sky. It was bright and clear, and made him want to relax again.

_Wasn't it night, though…?_ He sat up, and looked around, wide-eyed. He was in the Quidditch pitch, alone. He stood, looking around. There was a keening sound coming from nearby, and he walked towards it.

"Don't bother. It's beyond any help." He turned, reaching for his wand and the dagger, before noticing that both were gone. He looked up, and froze.

His parents were walking towards him, hand in hand. Neither looked a day older than seventeen, the same as the photo that was still in his trunk.

"Mum… dad?" They grinned at him, but that was all he saw before hurtling their way, hugging them for all he was worth.

It took a while, but eventually he'd settled down enough for them to all sit down and relax.

"So… am I dead?" Harry asked, feeling strangely detached.

"In a sense. You got hit with a Killing Curse, but because of the whole Horcrux bit, you have a choice. You can go back, or pass on." Harry looked at his father, who seemed eerily calm. He pointed it out.

"Well, I don't want you to change your mind because of something I said. Your mum's taught me to not do that, and I prefer to keep her happy." He grinned cheekily at his wife, who roller her eyes before turning to him.

"We want you to be happy. If that means you want to stay here, then that's that." He frowned.

"I want to stay here… " he didn't miss the disappointed looks as he continued, "but I have things that need to be done back there. I can't let the others die in vain, and I'm the only one that can kill Voldemort." Lily smiled proudly.

"Then go there, now. Nothing's stopping you." He stood as well, hugged his parents one last time, and watched as everything faded away.

_Well, that was a whole lot less dramatic than I expected it to be…_

He opened his eyes once again, this time seeing darkness, with flashes of light every few moments. There were voices nearby.

"So, the great Dumbledore needs to hide behind a child's shield? What has this come to?" Voldemort mocked. A spell hit him, but had no effect. He shot one back at it's caster, but Harry couldn't see whether it hit or not. A new voice spoke.

"Look at you, so high and mighty. I wonder how you'd feel if you were on the same level as us?" Sirius? Harry sat up, noticing that he was laying behind the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and past them was the Order. No-one could see him. He stood.

"You will never be at my level, Black. I have delved further into the reaches of magic than-"

"Yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. One of those 'delves' wouldn't be this, would it?" He smirked, throwing something at him. It shone golden in the light. Voldemort caught it, and looked at it confused.

Then he screamed; it was full of rage and fear. Sirius laughed. Then he spotted Harry, and grinned in relief and mischief.

"How long you planning on playing dead, anyway?" The Death Eaters turned, and were shunted aside so that Voldemort could get a clear view of him. His eyes widened.

"Potter…" Harry grinned at him, feeling better than he had in a long time. His head was clear.

"Hello, Tom. Fancy a duel?" He held out his wand invitingly. Voldemort snarled at him.

"It will be your last, _Potter."_

They both circled around each other, neither taking their eyes off the other. Harry could see, though, out of the corner of his eye, that people were filling in around them, both sides, wands drawn but not fighting yet. Harry watched Riddle's wand, and saw the movement before he heard the incantation.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

"_Expelliarmis!" _There was a tremendous crash, as the bolts of light hit each other and bounced back at their casters. Harry ducked out of the way, feeling his hair get singed as it passed by. Voldemort wasn't so lucky.

His followers swarmed forward, intent on killing him, but the others were just as fast. He stood, dodging a spell.

"Damn it, isn't killing the villain supposed to _stop___his followers?" Someone next to him laughed sarcastically.

"You kidding? They get even _harder_ to fight! Now, get back to the castle, Potter. We can take care of the clean-up." he turned to see Mad-Eye Moody gesturing for him to go. Something was wrong with his eye… Namely, it wasn't there. He didn't get time to question this, as something was lifting him in the air and away from the battle.

"Who's…" He couldn't look up, and it was too dark to see, anyway.

"Cooro. Now come on, we're getting to safety before-" He didn't finish, as a stray spell shot at them, clipping his wing. They began to drop.

"Crap. Harry, when I say to, jump."

"What? But-"

"_Jump!" _He did as he was told, and landed in a bush, and watched as Cooro careened into the lake.

"Cooro!" He began to go forward, but a figure was already running past, intent on the lake. It was Senri.

"Go to the castle. Now!" Harry stared, as Senri dove into the lake, but finally began to run to the school.

X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_

Cooro tried to focus, but between the burning pain in his wing and the icy water, it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Distantly, he could see a figure swimming towards him. Or was there two…?

He wanted to sleep, but something was telling him not to. It was getting louder, too. And was the water less wet, or was he hallucinating?

"Don't you _dare _go to sleep, not with all the effort we went through to get you. Come on, wake up!" Was that Husky?

"Come on, we're nearly there… stay awake a bit more, okay?" Well, that was Senri. If they said so, Cooro guessed he couldn't go to sleep. He tried to focus on something.

_Warmth…_ It was coming from something near his side. In fact, he was pressed up against it. A chest? It was moving, so that would make sense… He was deposited onto something soft, but it was cold. Why did the warmth leave? It was so nice…

There were more voices, ones he couldn't hear properly. The pain in his wing was back, worse than before. Why hadn't he pulled them in? He did so, but the burning only transferred to his back. He rolled over, and heard more voices from above him. Could he sleep now…?

"Yes, Cooro. Sleep." Well, that was that. He closed his eyes and let unconsciousness take him.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Bonds That Tie, Chapter Eight**

Sirius had known that even with Voldemort dead, plenty would still fight. It was annoying, but true. He defended himself from another spell, Stunning the caster, and turned to face his next opponent.

Instead, he was facing his cousin, Narcissa. She was running his way, and reached him just as a spell raced at her. Without thinking, he sent up a shield, engulfing himself, Narcissa and Remus, who looked up, shrugged, and began treating a wound on his arm while Sirius took care of his cousin.

"I don't want to fight! I never did, but especially not now. Please," he could hear how much this pained her, "give me passage to the castle, to see Draco. Please!" She looked at him desperately, just as Moody came into view.

"Black! What are you doing?" Moody glared at Narcissa, who was trying to stand tall despite her fear.

"She helped me out several months ago. She and Lucius have turned loyalties as far as I'm concerned. I am escorting her to see Draco, who is still in the castle. If you see Lucius, tell him." Moody glared, but simply shook his head.

"You better not let her out of your sight, boy." He went back to the fight, and Sirius turned to Remus, who grinned at him.

"Don't worry bout me, love. I can handle a few more fights." Sirius kissed him on the cheek, before letting the shield down.

"Come on Cissy. Let's go find your son."

It took surprisingly little time to reach the castle. Narcissa was silent, and Sirius saw no reason to break it. At the gates, one of the Weasley boys (Charlie, perhaps?) stopped him.

"What're you doing?" Sirius grinned at him, though he noted that this was actually Percy (no burns), and wouldn't be likely to listen to a convict.

"We have someone seeking safety from the battle. Let us in, won't you?" Percy hesitated. He'd been told to allow anyone who was injured, or on their side, into the castle, but was dubious. It was a Malfoy, after all.

However, it was his orders, and he was good at following them. He let them in, and noticed that Narcissa gave him a thankful nod as she passed.

"Oh, if anyone comes up with Lucius, let him in, 'kay? We're expecting him." Sirius was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey, who had set up a sick bay in the Great Hall and was standing in the doors.

"No need. He was brought in earlier, Stunned in defense of one of ours. He's inside now." Sirius nodded his thanks, then turned to his cousin.

"Go in there, I'll send for Draco." She left, and he sent a Patronus straight to the Slytherin Common Rooms. Mme. Pomfrey coughed. He raised an eyebrow.

"There's another thing. Cooro was brought in a little while ago; he was hit and fell into the lake."

X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_X_

Draco sat alone in his dorm room, wishing for once in his life that he was a Gryffindor. Or at least a Ravenclaw. Then he'd be able to maybe get himself and his parents out of the horrible mess they were in.

He remembered that odd conversation, when his mother had told him to be wary of the Death Eater's children, and to try and keep his nose down. She'd refused to tell him why. There had been other hints, as well.

_If you weren't such a coward, you'd go outside and _find_ them._ He berated himself angrily. He hated this situation as well; trapped belowground, not knowing who would win this battle.

_There's another thing. If I was in another House, I'd be able to see what was going on, at least!_ He wished he'd joined the groups shooting spells off the battlements.

A burst of light slid through the door, and he looked up. There stood a large silvery-white wolf, a Patronus. It opened its mouth.

"Draco Malfoy. Your father is injured, and your mum wants to see you. Come up to the Great Hall." It vanished. He froze, thinking of the people in the Common Room, of the things that could attack in the halls. In the back of his mind, he noted that the voice was vaguely familiar, as though he'd heard it once before, a long time ago. Maybe he shouldn't go… he didn't know the messenger, after all…

_Man up! You are a Pureblood, in the most Noble House of Malfoy. _He stood and left.

Despite his convictions, he almost turned around when he saw the Common Room. It seemed that every Slytherin was there, talking. He shook his head, adopted the family sneer, and walked straight through them, towards the exit.

"What are you doing?" He turned, to see Crabbe and Goyle standing there. All eyes were on him. He sniffed.

"That's none of your concern." He slipped out of the room quickly, and closed the door, watching it meld into the wall. As it did, wards that had obviously been in place earlier flared up again, as someone tried to follow. Somehow, the school was choosing who it allowed in its halls tonight. He wasted no more time, and bolted to the Great Hall.

It was strangely quiet, though people were running this way and that, administering care and new patients every few minutes. He suspected there were spells in place. He walked forward, looking around. There were many injured here, and he noticed that some were not even Wizards, but various magical species. He could see at least three vampires, and many werewolves. He had to resist the urge to turn tail and run once again.

His mother was easy to find; the area surrounding her and his father's stretcher was empty of people. As he neared the area, he saw another figure walking that way as well, carrying two mugs of tea. Even from the back, the person was recognizable.

"Sirius Black!" His cousin (once removed) turned, and grinned at him.

"That'd be my name. Hello Draco." He couldn't move, confused. This man was a murderer! Not only that, he had died two years ago!

But if any of that was true, then how was he here, alive and fighting for the side he'd supposedly betrayed?

He walked closer, and Sirius' grin faded to a weary smile. He could see what Draco had thought. Narcissa looked up.

"Draco!" She ran forward, engulfing him in a hug. He blinked, surprised. Displays of affection weren't common in his house.

She was muttering something to him, but he couldn't really hear her. She let him go, and pulled him to his father's side. He was still.

"Is he…?" Sirius handed him a mug, giving Narcissa the other.

"He'll be fine. A Stunner to the chest, along with another spell that's making it difficult to wake him up. But he'll be alright." Sirius stood.

"I'm going to go see how Cooro's doing." He began to walk away, but called over his shoulder as he left.

"By the way, Andromeda's kid is here, helping on the battlements. I think 'Dromeda's here too, somewhere."

Draco turned, confused. Wasn't Cooro dead? But if Sirius was alive, then maybe Cooro was as well. And what was this about his aunt?

Sirius walked away, leaving him and his mother alone. She sipped at the tea in the mug, and he, after a moment, followed suit. It was surprisingly refreshing.

"He always was odd, even before Hogwarts." He looked up.

"Black was?" She nodded.

"Yes. Never thought the same as the rest of us. Hated tradition, for one, and couldn't really understand the 'pureblood obsession,' as he put it." Draco felt inclined to argue the point, but he didn't. He'd never heard this part before. Indeed, he'd rarely heard of Sirius at all.

"And after he was Sorted into Gryffindor… well, it soon became obvious that he'd been holding back, for the most part. I think Walburga was relieved when he finally left home." She looked up at him, smiling gently. It threw him for a loop; this wasn't really his mother, was it? She was acting so different.

He refused to entertain the notion that it was an act, or that it reminded him vaguely of Mrs. Weasley's attitude.

"He saw you, once or twice, when you were a baby. He was still family in blood, and I couldn't refuse him the chance. Not with the war. Not even when it became obvious that we were on different sides. It stopped, after a few weeks. I believe that was when he began to suspect Lupin as the spy." She went silent, and he thought about the familiarity of the voice.

"Malfoy?" They both looked up, and he found himself face-to-face with Husky, who was carrying a potion bottle in one hand and his wand in the other. He stood, not wanting to be at a disadvantage.

"What are you doing here?" Draco wanted to sneer. To say something cutting, and rude, like his father had taught him to behave. But he didn't. He simply gestured to his father, lying unconscious on the bed. Something lit in Husky's eyes, and he lowered his wand, not seeming to notice he'd had it up in the first place.

They stood there for a long moment, before Draco opened his mouth.

"Why're you here?" Husky raised an eyebrow, but pointed to a rather empty row of stretchers near the other wall. In one of them lay Cooro. Husky began to turn, deliberated for a moment, and turned back, a pained expression on his face.

"You can come sit over with us, if you want." He didn't wait for an answer, simply walking away. Draco turned to look at his mother.

_No, mum. She's not acting like a mother, she's acting like a mom._ She tilted her head in Husky's direction and smiled.

"Did I ever tell you that the one thing I ever regretted was losing contact with my sister? She married a Muggle-born." He didn't need anything more, and strode after Husky.

Husky, for the record, hadn't expected Malfoy to follow him. But Cooro had always been a forgiving person, and if they were here, they were on the same side. So it made sense for him to try and be civil, right?

But as he sat down, handing the potion to Senri, he couldn't help bet wonder if it was such a good idea. In any case, most of the people who knew Cooro believed him to be dead. Spilling secrets like that wasn't in his nature.

Malfoy sat, somewhat awkwardly, in another chair nearby, watching as Senri poured the liquid down Cooro's throat. There was silence for a while.

"What happened?" Husky paused, looking at Senri. Senri smiled slightly at him.

"He was in the battle, though we're not sure why. Harry said he'd had to give him something. Anyway, he was flying when he got hit in the wing by a curse. He fell into the lake." Senri and he had both been blasted by warming and drying spells when they'd gotten him inside.

"How'd you get him out of the lake?" Husky rubbed his markings absently, trying to think.

"I was… in the lake as well. Speaking to the Merpeople, when I saw Cooro go in. Senri dove in from above, so we reached him about the same time." Malfoy, no, Draco, frowned.

"_In_ the lake? Talking to the Merpeople?" His tone suggested he didn't believe him. Husky turned his head, showing the marks.

"Do you know what these mean?" Draco, unsurprisingly, shook his head, though Husky could see several ideas floating in his head.

"They're the mark of an Anima. These are for a fish. I can grow gills and a tail at will." Draco scoffed, and Husky was tempted to hit him. Senri abruptly put his arm forward, making the blond jump.

Senri only turned his wrist, exposing his own marks, before allowing the claw to appear. Draco stared at them, before gulping and nodding. He seemed on the verge of asking another question, but stayed silent. Cooro shifted slightly.

"Malfoy?" Once again, Draco felt himself turn to see a Gryffindor standing there, looking at him. This time it was Harry, who looked overly tired and drained. He was holding his arm at an odd angle. This time, he didn't bother to stand, and instead turned forward again, watching as Cooro breathed steadily. From the corner of his eye, he could see Husky exchanging looks with Potter, before they all sat down again.

"So, you gonna tell us what the hell has been going on?" Harry turned to Husky in surprise.

"What?" Husky scowled.

"Well, two people rose from the dead, there was a huge battle, Voldemort is dead-"

"_What?"_ Malfoy turned to look at them both, raw hope shining in his eyes. Harry blinked, before nodding.

"It's a long story, but yes, he's dead." Draco stared another moment, before slumping into his chair.

"Dead… he's dead." For a moment, the Gryffindors all looked at each other, each thinking Malfoy was saddened by this news, and hoping they were wrong. He looked up then, smiling so brightly it appeared to hurt.

"He's dead! We're free!" He yelled, attracting a few looks from the other people that were still conscious. He blushed a bit, but his grin remained.

"Free?" Senri looked confused, and Husky was struck suddenly by how much he'd missed having him around. The confused expression was so familiar he could almost pretend they were camping in the woods again, plotting their next meal.

"Free. Voldemort," he shuddered a bit, but continued, "was very convincing in the beginning. Don't look at me like that!" He defended, as Harry glared.

"They didn't know his true plans. When he was recruiting at first, he simply seemed to want more power to Wizards, less of this hiding from Muggles. That was when they received their Dark Mark." Harry could guess what came next.

"And went insane?" Malfoy nodded.

"Nobody could leave at that point, and at first, no-one wanted to. It looked like they would get what they wanted, you see. And by the time they realized he'd lied…"

"It was too late." He nodded again.

"That's why my parents are here, at any rate. Father may hate Muggles and Muggle-borns, but this all-out war isn't what he thought he was getting into." Husky couldn't help but ask.

"And your mother?"

"Went along with father's wishes. As I would have eventually done, had it come to it." He rubbed his wrist, as if in memory of an old hurt. A groan startled them all.

"Ngh… where's the lake?" Cooro blinked, trying to focus. Above him were the stars, but there was something odd…

_A bed…_ That was it, he was in a bed. And there was a voice nearby. A few, really. He tried to listen.

"Cooro? Are you awake now?" Was that Senri? He tried to sit up, and felt several hands helping him do so, putting pillows behind him so he could lean back. He looked around, and saw Senri, Husky, Harry, and oddly enough, Draco Malfoy, all watching him with worry. He smiled, before yawning.

"Where's everyone?" Husky raised a brow.

"Fighting, Cooro. The battle isn't done yet." The battle… He gasped, sitting up straight.

"The fight! I have to go back; there were more injured! I have to…" He began to struggle up, and Senri had to push him back.

"You're injured. Sit." Draco eyed the boy oddly. He had a perfectly good reason to stay out of danger, and he was trying to go _back?_ What was wrong with Gryffindors?

He ignored the small part that pointed out that he had wished for those traits not an hour before. They were still arguing.

"You got shot in the wing, and nearly drowned. You're not leaving until Mme. Pomfrey clears you." Husky said firmly. Draco couldn't help but comment.

"If you're lucky, you'll get out by next week." He was surprised when that got a chuckle out of them.

There was a bang, that rattled the earth and made everyone standing rethink their positions. The floor seemed safer, really. A voice, amplified by a _Sonorus _charm, reached even inside the castle.

"Stop this madness! Your Master is dead; lay down arms before you lay down your lives! This battle is over!" Cooro laughed a bit, leaning back.

"Remus would be the only one to think of doing that." Draco frowned for a moment, before remembering that Remus was their third year DADA teacher's first name.

"You're on first-name basis with Lupin?" He shoved down the disdain he held for the man, knowing that making enemies her was a bad idea. He hadn't even been a bad teacher; his father and Snape just hated him, so he did, too.

"Yeah; he's like a surrogate dad." Husky and Senri nodded with Cooro, and Draco was struck by an odd thought.

_They might not be Purebloods, or rich, but they seem far happier than any relative of mine._ He frowned a bit. If he kept thinking like that, he'd end up like Dumbledore; a sentimental Muggle-lover.

Now, why didn't the idea of that cause as much anger as it usually did?


	9. Chapter 9

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Nine**

Harry couldn't believe what was happening. Or what wasn't, to be more accurate. The battle was over. The Death Eaters had either surrendered or been subdued, and now all that was left was cleaning up the mess on the grounds and the trials.

And funerals. There were quite a bit of those as well. Nobody he knew personally, but he still wished he could do something for the grieving families.

Harry looked out into the room, seeing the families being reunited after a night of fear and worry. A young woman (he couldn't really call her a _girl, _she was at least twenty!) with bright blue hair was hugging two people that appeared to be her parents; the Malfoys were grouped around the bed that held Lucius.

That was another surprise. He hadn't expected any of them to turn, and yet they all sat there, traitors to the dark and hiding in the light. Harry wondered if any others had switched.

Besides them, there were few people in the room he knew. Only very threatening injuries were in the Wing at the moment; anybody else was either sent to Mungo's or staying in the dorms.

"Harry!" He turned. Remus was running at him, appearing not to notice the blood running down his shirt. Harry found himself pulled into a hug.

"Thank God… I thought we'd lost you in the battle. Don't you _ever_ do something like that again, _understand_?" Harry nodded, noting vaguely that this kind of parental embrace was a rarity.

"Now, Moony, isn't the angry/worried parent speech my job?" Sirius was walking their way, grinning. His eyes drifted to the blue-haired woman, then the Malfoys, before he reached them.

"Were you planning on giving it?" Remus asked, releasing Harry, who was then hugged by Sirius.

"No." Harry laughed.

"I think I'll be getting several more later, so don't worry." He was right. Hagrid, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, McGonagall, and some random people he didn't recognize lectured him on his reckless attitude and congratulated him for the defeat in the same breath.

_XxX_

Draco sat at his father's side while he told his mother about the battle, and how he'd ended up in the hospital.

"I was trying to knock out as many others as I could when I saw MacNair Stun someone, then proceed to _Crucio_ them. I suppose I didn't think; I jumped in his way. He threw another hex, and that's all I know. I woke up here." Narcissa nodded, knowing he wouldn't reveal any more than that.

Draco's eyes wandered, and met those of a woman with blue-hair, standing talking to some others nearby. All were battle-worn. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw him, and darted to his parents before turning away to the other she was talking to. Now all three were looking his way. He fought the inclination to turn away.

"Cis- Narcissa?" Narcissa looked up slowly, recognizing the voice. Sure enough, her estranged sister, her Mudblood husband, and daughter were walking over. Draco was already looking.

"Andromeda." She acknowledged, watching them carefully. Her sister stood in front of them, eyes taking in the bed, her son and husband, before returning to her.

"I'm told you switched sides. Is that true?" Narcissa felt herself blink in surprise. Exactly how did she hear of that? She nodded anyway.

Not two seconds later, she was engulfed in a hug.

"Thank God… thank God…" Andromeda murmured over and over, while the others looked on a bit awkwardly. Finally, she let go, and stepped back.

"I doubt you want anything much to do with me, but I…" She simply smiled a bit, before walking away. Her family followed, looking a bit lost. Before the younger witch left, though she turned back, grinning. All three Malfoys were struck by the resemblance to the only other carefree person in the family: Sirius.

"I'm Tonks, by the way! Nice to see ya!" Narcissa winced at the bad grammar. Draco realized he'd just met his only cousin.

_XxX_

Somehow, everyone had ended up grouped around Cooro's bed. Even Malfoy. Ron was in shock at that, but with all the craziness going on, he let it go. For now. The twins appeared to be planning a prank with Cooro anyway, so he should be listening in case he was involved.

"What's going to happen to the Malfoys?" Heads snapped around to look at Nana, who was sitting on the floor with Hermione and Ginny. She shrugged at their gazes.

"What? They _were_ Death Eaters. Is the Ministry going to give them a trial?" Remus glanced at Draco, who was staring at the floor, before answering.

"It'll take a few weeks for everything to be sorted out. They will most likely get some kind of trial, but seeing as so many people can testify they switched sides, I highly doubt anything will happen to them." Sirius raised a brow.

"Who? A convicted killer, who should be dead? A few people from the battle? Our witnesses aren't exactly the greatest, Moony." Remus glared, glancing pointedly at Draco. Sirius tried to fix his mistake.

"On the other hand, Dumbledore'll attest to it, and he carries a lot of weight in the Ministry, especially now." Ron frowned.

"Why especially now?" Bill, who'd showed up for the battle and stayed at Molly's insistence, answered.

"Because he was telling them that Voldemort was back for months, and they called him crazy, for one. The fact that the whole thing took place within a few hours, on school grounds, is another. And of course…" The twins looked up from whatever plot they'd been concocting.

"He's Dumbledore. Nuff' said."

Despite the assurances, Draco couldn't help but feel that maybe, this time, his father wouldn't be able to keep himself out of trouble.

With all that was going on, the end of term came as an anticlimax. Even the exams weren't much by comparison.

Two days before school let out, everyone had cleared out except Sirius, who was trying to clear his name, Remus, and the Weasleys, who were all helping repair the damage in the grounds. They were all currently sitting at breakfast when the mail came in.

Draco looked up to see an owl flying towards him. It dropped a letter. He opened it, and carefully read the contents.

He went pale.

_XxX_

"So let me get this straight; they decided to put both the Malfoys under house arrest before their trial, and didn't bother thinking about their son?" Remus asked as they sat in Dumbledore's office. Draco sat on a couch across the room.

"Yes. The Ministry is trying to make up for their mistakes from the last war, and are putting everyone on trial. However, with so many people, they will take quite a while to get the trials over with."

"And they can't risk anyone pulling anything, so they're keeping an eye on the convicts instead of carting them off to Azkaban?" Sirius sounded vaguely disappointed, though whether that was because the trials were the reason he couldn't clear his name, or because the convicted didn't have to wait with the dementors was anyone's guess.

Dumbledore nodded, before rubbing his temples.

"They couldn't have timed this more poorly. Mr. Malfoy, I cannot allow you to remain at the school over break. However, I will help you to find other arrangements." Draco nodded, not used to being in this office. (Unlike all the other occupants, for various reasons)

"Wait, that's the problem? Hell, he can stay with us if he wants." Draco's head shot up to where Remus was sitting, surprised. He'd gone out of his way to be horrible to him, why would he say that?

Dumbledore was nodding, and saying something. Draco tuned back in.

"You don't mind, then?" Remus shook his head, and Sirius turned to Draco.

"Well, kid, welcome to the insanity."

_XxX_

"Draco's staying with us?" Cooro looked up from his chess game with Husky. Senri nodded. (Yes, he was in the room the entire time. Guy needs to talk more.) The other two boys looked at each other and shrugged.

"'Kay. Someone might want to tell Nana, though."

"Tell me what?" All three jumped, looking at Nana. She sat down next to Husky and gazed at them. Cooro looked back at the game, calling out "Knight to D4," but not answering her question. She looked at Husky.

"Malfoy's staying with us at Remus' until his parents' trial is over."

"_What?"_ Cooro giggled quietly, but didn't look up. Nana was still awkward around him; he wasn't going to push his luck.

"He can't very well stay by himself, and the Ministry won't let him stay with his parents." He didn't know if this was true or not, but Husky figured it was the most likely answer to why. Nana still looked furious.

"But why _us?_ And for that matter, why aren't you more…" She searched for the right word.

"Angry? Confused? Worried? It's not like he'll be able to do much with Remus and Sirius there, anyway." _Should he even want to, _Husky added silently.

"Remus offered, as soon as he heard. It is his house." Senri added quietly, watching as Cooro moved a bishop.

"Checkmate." Husky groaned as Cooro reset the board, and moved away for Senri to play. Nana spluttered a moment more, before sighing and sprawling over the couch.

"Fine… but I'm not holding back if he annoys me."

"Didn't expect you two."

And that was how, two days later, Draco Malfoy found himself being hustled through the fireplace at Kings Cross to the Lupin house. He looked around, trying to hide his curiosity as the others tumbled out behind him, dragging trunks and bags through the sitting room. Someone tapped his shoulder.

"Come on, I'll show you your room." Dragging his trunk, he followed Cooro up a staircase.

"I'm not sharing a room, am I?" He remembered at the last minute he wasn't supposed to be rude, but wasn't entirely sure he managed to keep the tone out of his voice.

"No, there's enough room. Here, this one." Cooro pushed open a door and stepped in. Draco looked down the hall, seeing several other doors, on both sides, and one at the end. Walking in after Cooro, he saw a decent-sized bedroom, simply furnished. He noticed red and gold wall-paper, but the blankets were green.

"Remus redecorated a bit, so you wouldn't be surrounded by red. Sirius disagreed, though." He set his trunk on the floor, eyeing Cooro.

"How do you know that?" He grinned at him.

"That's my secret, isn't it? Anyway, dinner's in about an hour, unless they need help. Someone'll come get you if you don't come down." He left, presumably to his own room. Just as Draco sat down, he poked his head in again.

"By the way, bathroom's the door next to the stairs." He left again. Draco looked at the room again. There was a large window, with dark green curtains. It looked out onto a forest. He realized he had no idea where he was.

Frowning, Draco looked at his trunk, debating whether it would be worth it to unpack. Deciding it could wait, he stood and looked further out the window, not really seeing it.

_I'm staying with half-bloods. And blood traitors. Alone. In the middle of nowhere._ He had the vaguest inkling that, should they want to, they could kill him, and nobody would ever know. He shook it away, focusing back on the trees.

In the distance, he could see two large black birds, swooping around each other in an intricate dance that, though they tried, even the best fliers could never hope to replicate on a broom.

_XxX_

Nana saw Cooro slip out the back door, and followed after him. He spread his wings, facing away from her, and she held back a gasp. For on the spot she'd been told he'd been hit with an unidentified hex, the feathers were not blood-red, forming a shape that could be a heart, or a lion.

He flew into the air, and she didn't even think; she simply joined him.

Not a word was spoken aloud, but many were passed silently.

_I'm sorry._

_I missed you._

From the kitchen, Husky grinned as he saw the black wings flutter past the window.

An hour later saw them all sitting around the table, with Draco looking a bit awkward. Husky would be willing to bet that he was used to large ornate tables, not the kitchen one with people close on either side.

He'd taken a while to get used to it as well, but it was more being used to a table at all when they'd gotten here. Camping for so long meant that niceties such as furniture were sparse at best.

Cooro and Senri sat at one end, talking lowly and quietly. _Maybe about what they've been up to, while we've been at school._ It would make sense, he supposed.

On the other end, Remus was talking to Sirius, and trying to draw Draco in. He wasn't succeeding. The Slytherin seemed to not want to speak at all.

He shrugged, and continued his conversation with Nana about the summer homework.

Husky's thoughts had been right; Draco felt incredibly awkward, seated in between Lupin and Senri, neither of whom he knew well. Lupin had tried to talk to him as well as Black, but he'd refused and stayed silent, trying to adjust.

"Okay! Cooro, you and Draco are on dish duty. Nana, you can clean up the table." The two stood up and began their duties, but Draco looked at him, confused.

"What?" Sirius rolled his eyes before turning to face the boy.

"You and Cooro are washing the dishes. Well, one washes, the other'll have to dry." Draco stood and found his arms loaded with a stack of dinner plates, while Cooro carried the rest to the kitchen sink.

"But why not have a house-elf do it? Or use magic?" Nana turned quickly, shushing him.

"_Don't _say that! Sirius did once, and it wasn't pretty. There aren't house elves here, first off." She paused, making a pile of napkins and grabbing a wash rag.

"And second, there is no under-age magic, under any circumstances." She began to wipe, and Cooro beckoned him over to the sink.

"Besides, magic doesn't clean them as well anyway. Here, you dry." He handed him a small towel. He then turns back to the sink, washing the dishes quickly and thoroughly, making a pile. Slowly, Draco picks up a plate in one hand, and begins to wipe it dry.

From the sitting room, Remus turns to Sirius in triumph.

"See? He can learn, for all you say about 'pureblood mentality'."

_XxX_

A letter arrived the next day. Remus read it through twice before calling Draco over.

"It's about your parents."

_Remus, Sirius, and company_,

_The Ministry has finally sorted itself enough to begin trials. I am not pleased to say that I will be one of the jurors, as per my rank, and will therefore have to watch them all. I feel that many of the convicts are only being put on the stand for proprieties sake, and will be sent to Azkaban within a few minutes._

_Now, Bellatrix Lestrange, the Malfoys, and Bartimus Crouch Jr. are all planned for the first of July. Should you wish to attend, I believe I may be able to get you a seat. This offer extends to Mr. Malfoy as well._

_Regards,_

_Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore_

_P.S. Sirius, I have managed to get you a private hearing with Alastor Moody and Madam Bones, due to the extraneous circumstances. It will take place in one week._

Wordlessly, Draco handed the letter back to Remus, who set it down on a table.

"Do you want to go?" The sound startled him, and he jumped, looking back up.

"I… I don't know. Do I have to decide now?" Being indecisive wasn't a Malfoy trait, but this was an odd situation. Remus shook his head.

"No, don't worry about it." He looked like he was going to say more, but a voice from the basement interrupted him.

"Hey Moony! I found my old guitar!" Remus groaned.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter Ten**

Harry looked at the photo one last time, at his smiling parents.

"You sure this won't hurt you?" Lily nodded.

"We won't feel a thing. Don't worry." He nodded, smiled a bit, and tossed the picture into the fire, watching as the flames devoured it. Finally, it was gone, and he turned away.

They could rest in peace, and that was what mattered, right? He turned to leave, and saw his cousin watching him. Belatedly, he poured some water on the flames, causing them to sputter and die.

"What was that?" Harry almost didn't answer, but sighed.

"A photo of my parents at school. They were trapped in it, so I let them free." He didn't bother looking up at Dudley's face, and instead left the room, glancing out the window as he did.

For a moment, he could have sworn that he saw them both, waving and smiling at him before fading into the sun.

Upstairs, a brown owl sat on the bed, a thick letter in its claws.

_XxX_

Draco groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the sun. For a moment, he wondered why he'd slept so late, before remembering where he was. He sat up, and began to get dressed, hearing voices from the surrounding rooms as he did.

"Cooro! Get Draco up, will you?" That was Lupin, he was pretty sure.

"Husky, have you seen my shoes? Senri and I were going to go looking for some herbs in the forest."

"By the door, I think Sirius' cloak fell on them." He finished dressing, walking to the door as someone knocked. While he opened it to see Cooro standing there, he heard one more comment.

"_Husky!_ Out of the kitchen, you'll light something on fire!" Cooro laughed.

"Come on, Remus is making pancakes!" He skipped down the hall, singing to himself.

"Why're you so bloody happy all the time?" Cooro's steps faltered, then stopped as he considered.

"Well… I dunno, I guess there's no reason to be sad. So why not be happy?" He nodded to himself, and reached the stairs. Draco felt his eyes widen as he ignored the steps themselves, jumped onto the railing, and leapt down, landing neatly on his feet. He threw his hands up.

"Ta-dah!" Senri, who'd been standing a few feet away, held up ten fingers.

"Woo-hoo! Ten outta ten!" Draco reached the bottom himself, and looked back up at the top. He shook his head, ignoring the entire thing rather than question how he'd gotten down without injury. And what was with that pose?

"So Remus, did ya send the letter yet?" Draco looked up, wondering what letter. The other kids looked up as well, but with more eagerness than confusion.

"Yes, I did. The answer should be here soon. Now, can you pass the syrup?" Draco frowned, looking at the others, but they had turned back to their food.

_XxX_

_Dear Harry,_

_I do hope you haven't done anything dangerous since term let out. After all the excitement of the battle, I think another stunt might kill me. And Sirius._

_Now, as the threat of Voldemort is gone, and Sirius is soon to be cleared, we wanted to know if you wished to stay here with us. Permanently. It would have to be after he's cleared, of course._

_This is rather sudden, and I don't know if you would want to leave your aunt and uncle (though I've met them, and I can't imagine why you would want to stay), but do think about it, alright?_

_Now, about Sirius. His trial is in two days. You won't be able to go to the hearing itself, but you are welcome to come with us if you wish._

_Sincerely,_

_Remus_

_P.S. Did you already burn the photo? _

Harry stared at the message. They wanted him to stay there? Even with everything else that was going on?

He sat down and wrote an answer hurriedly, sending it with Romulus before turning to look at Hedwig.

"They want us to stay with them!" Hedwig hooted at him, and he grinned, sitting down to work on the Transfiguration homework.

_XxX_

Sirius sat nervously in the office, while they waited for Dumbledore and Moody to arrive. Madam Bones sat across from him, watching him closely. Remus was in the other chair, humming. He wasn't worried.

The final two members of the group entered the room, and they began.

"Sirius Orion Black. You are charged with the murder of one Peter Pettigrew, thirteen Muggles, the destruction of a city block, and the revealing of the Potter's home. You were convicted and sent to Azkaban, and escaped. Is all of this true?" Sirius blinked.

"No. I was never convicted, unless that doesn't require a trial now. And I didn't do any off the crimes I was charged for in the first place."

"You never got a trial?" She is younger than most of the people that were in charge at the time. Sirius would wager that she hadn't even been in the Ministry at the time.

"No. It wasn't odd. At that point, people just wanted everything to be over." He'd accepted that fact a long time ago. Didn't like it, but accepted.

"Right. Well, to clear this all up, you are going to take Verituserum, and I'll ask you what happened. If need be, we may pull your memories of the event. Do you understand?" He nodded again, but was nervous. She turned to Remus.

"Will you be able to verify what he says?" Remus frowned.

"I can answer your questions, and you can look at my memories, but I'm afraid I can't take Truth Serum." Ah, right. Didn't work on werewolves. Sirius wondered if it would work on the Anima kids. They were reinstating Cooro into Hogwarts and as a wizard at the moment, before going to the magical creatures department. Molly Weasley was with them.

She looked confused, and Remus sighed, rolling up a sleeve to reveal a werewolf registration number on his arm. She stared, before swallowing and turning back to me.

"Very well. Let's begin, shall we?"

It took several hours, going over all that happened. She seemed particularly interested in the part about the Animagaus transformations, and insisted on seeing it.

"You managed this as a fifth year?" Sirius transformed back and nodded. They continued.

"Wait You fell through the Veil, and came _back?"_

"Yes. We weren't needed for the spell, so we were sent back to defeat Voldemort instead." She shook her head, but finisher her questioning, and nodded.

"Well, it's incredibly unusual, but I see no reason for you to be sent back to Azkaban. You are free to go." Sirius frowned, confused.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but I'm an illegal Animagaus that broke out of prison. I'm not going to get penalized for that?" Moody laughed, the first sound he'd made all day.

"Any time you'd've been there for those was already spent, kid. Now go register and go home."

We left, with Dumbledore in tow. He also hadn't spoken.

"I feel like that was too easy. Is something going to go wrong now?" Remus laughed.

"Gods, Padfoot, just relax! It'll be fine, okay?" Dumbledore chuckles behind them.

"You sound like you have reversed roles."

They reached the registration, and are out within five minutes.

"Cooro, slow down!"

"Senri, that's not- _put me down!"_ They round the corner, to see Cooro racing at them, dragging Harry along, and Senri following, carrying the others. Molly was running after them, looking exasperated. Much further down the hall, Draco walked after her, looking a cross between annoyed and amused.

"These children… I swear, they're worse than the twins!" Husky, Cooro and Harry all looked at her. And grinned. She shook her head, and began walking away, saying she would go see Arthur before heading home.

"BLACK!" A shriek sounded from down the hall, where a stout woman was approaching them quickly.

"White!" Cooro giggled.

"Grey." Nana rolled her eyes, but smiled at Senri's comment.

"Yellow!" They looked at Husky.

"What? You were all being neutrals." The woman reached them, and Remus bristled.

"You! Criminal! How dare you walk these halls! You ought to be in prison, rotting with the rest of your kind!" She raised her wand, as if to send him there herself, but Remus stepped forward. His gaze was cold.

"I think you ought to check the news. Sirius was cleared of all charges." She turned to him.

"Half-breed! You don't deserve to lick my boots! What gives you the right to talk to me like that?" Cooro walked up to her. He'd hit a quick (read: overnight) growth-spurt, and was still getting used to the new height. Now, he loomed over her. She glared at him.

"What!" He cocked his head.

"You're rude." She stared at him, gasping a bit. Sirius laughed.

"You get ice-cream when we get home." The others immediately crowded around (Except Draco, who had just reached the area and was standing off to the side), and ceased looking like children. They looked like puppies.

While Sirius tried to resist the inevitable (even Senri had joined in, and his stare was legendary), Remus laughed and Dumbledore began to speak to the woman.

"Remus is correct. Sirius was cleared by Madam Bones and Alastor Moody. You can check with them, if you like. Or, of course, ask me, as I was in the room at the time." She began to rant angrily at him, and Remus whispered in Sirius' ear.

"Let's leave while she's distracted." He nodded, and Remus grabbed Draco, before they ran. They didn't stop until they reached the fireplaces and arrived at the house. Then they started to laugh. Draco looked at them all, shook his head, and walked away.

Out of earshot, he chuckled, before heading upstairs.

"So, Moony, how do you know crazy, anyway?" Remus scowled, sitting on the couch. Sirius sprawled next to him.

"She's the leading advocate against anyone that isn't entirely human. Hagrid and the centaurs, me, merpeople, you get the idea. I've debated against her personally and publicly a few times."

"Ah…" Sirius wondered exactly what else he'd missed throughout the years.

"Oi! What's the point of a party if the main guest doesn't show up?" Harry poked his head through the doorway, grinning at them. Sirius pretended to be shocked.

"A party for me! I'm so touched! I don't think I can even stand!" He swooned, falling back into Remus, who rolled his eyes and hoisted them both up.

"Fine, then I'll have to carry you. That makes you the girl, though." Sirius leapt hastily onto the floor and ran into the kitchen.

"_Never!_" Remus rolled his eyes and followed. Inside the room was a cake a banner and a well-made dinner that Nana had made with a bit of help from Harry. Cooro was bouncing around, cleaning up and singing. Draco wasn't in sight.

"You did say he could come down, right?" Remus asked, while Sirius cut the cake, giving himself the biggest piece.

"Yeah, but I kinda doubt he will. He is staying with a bunch of people he doesn't know that well, won't this all be a bit awkward?" Nana answered him, gazing out a window.

"Not as awkward as hearing that, I'll bet." They all whirled around, looking to find Draco standing in the doorway, holding a box in one hand. He had changed clothes. He set the box on the table, where a few others sat, and carefully sat down, ignoring Nana's stammered apologies.

Husky chuckled, remembering her vow not to be nice. Hard to fight nature, he supposed… he leaned back in his seat, eating the insanely chocolate-filled cake that Nana had made, grinning.

"Chocolate! I love chocolate!" Cooro was currently bouncing off the walls, a smear of frosting on his cheek and a happy grin on his face. Draco looked vaguely scared, though the others continued to talk.

"Is that normal?" Harry looked up from his own cake, and glanced at the crow.

"Yeah, pretty much." Meanwhile, Cooro had tumbled into the table, and straight into a piece of cake. It splattered all over him. He giggled, trying to wipe it off. The other laughed. Senri quietly grabbed his arm and dragged him upstairs for a change of clothes.

Nana abruptly groaned.

"That was my piece!"

Upstairs, Cooro tried to stand still while Senri wiped the remains of cake off his arms. Finally, he was clean, and eh proceeded to pull on a shirt.

"Wait." Cooro turned back around, and Senri leaned forward, rubbing a thumb on his cheek.

"There was a bit… there." Cooro looked up at him.

"Did you get it?" Senri nodded. Cooro grinned, and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks!" he grabbed his hand and dragged him back out of the room.

_XxX_

**Malfoys Cleared Of All Charges!**

_In a shocking twist, the Malfoys, a couple with known relations to Death Eater activities, was cleared of any crimes. They were set free this afternoon._

_No press has been allowed through to the hearings, but an inside source informs _Prophet _readers that 'persons of high standing' gave evidence that the Malfoys had both turned, and aided the fight against You-Know-Who in the last several months_

_Their son was not present, and has refused to give any interview. He has, however sent a letter bearing the following message._

'_They were going to be cleared anyway, so why would it matter if I was there or not? Besides, we plan on celebrating privately anyway.' Neither of his parents were available for comment. _

_Later in the day, Mrs. Malfoy's sister Bellatrix was put on trial for similar crimes, and…_

Draco stopped reading, and allowed himself a small smile. Remus walked into the room, another copy of the article in his hands.

"Ah, I see you already know. Well, we've just gotten word from your parents. They'll be here to get you in an hour." Draco looked up at him, confused.

"Coming to get me?" Remus nodded.

"Yes, they're coming here. We're having lunch. Andromeda, Ted and Tonks are coming as well." Draco blinked.

"Your mum wanted to talk to her. Either she's had a major change of heart over the past few days, or she has always been an exceptional liar. Frankly, I'm not sure which." Sirius spoke from behind Remus, who turned and shook his head.

"That's not nice."

"Did I ever claim to be?" They walked back out of the room, bantering. Draco sat down, considering. In an hour, he'd be having lunch with relatives that he'd never met.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Bonds that Tie, Chapter 11**

Draco watched as three people tumbled through the fireplace. They were the ones he'd seen at Hogwarts. His aunt, uncle and cousin.

Sirius hugged Andromeda, grinning.

"Cousin! So great to see the one other sane relative!" She hugged him back, grinning.

"Not including yourself in that, are you?" Sirius let go, gasping in shock.

"Why, I've never been so insulted! Me? Sane? Never!" Remus chuckled, coming into the room.

"I second that. 'Lo Andromeda, Ted." He nodded to each of them, before turning to Tonks. She was watching him with interest.

"And you must be Nymphadora. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Remus." He held out his hand, which she took, smiling.

"Charmed. And call me Tonks, please." He raised a brow, but didn't question it.

"So, when is my darling sister arriving?" Andromeda asked, glancing around. Her eyes landed on Draco, taking him in. He wished she wouldn't; he felt odd enough without her looks.

The days at the Lupin house had resulted in him wearing Muggle clothing and not bothering to gel his hair back. He barely looked like himself.

"Draco, come on in. Narcissa and Lucius should be here in a few minutes." Draco walked in, and Remus looked over at him.

"You all packed up?" He nodded, watching with interest as Tonks' hair shifted through a few colors before settling on pink.

"Good. I'll just finish lunch while you all catch up." He walked out of the room, and Sirius gestured grandly.

"Well, sit. Let us engage in polite conversation about the weather and the décor." He sprawled into a chair, and Draco winced, sitting carefully on one of the armchairs. The others followed suit.

"Sirius, I didn't know you actually paid attention to your lessons." Andromeda raised her eyebrows, watching as Sirius laughed.

"There are lots of things I did you don't know about. For instance, one me n' Moony were up on the Astronomy Tower, and-" A hex came out of nowhere and hit his head. A voice called out from the kitchen,

"Shut it!" Tonks laughed, along with her parents. She glanced at Draco, noticing his stiff demeanor.

"You can relax; we aren't judging you." He stared at her, frowning, before leaning back into his chair, trying to pretend he wasn't in a room with relatives he'd been taught to hate his entire life.

"So, Tonks, what is it that you do?" She looked back at Sirius, who grinned charmingly at her.

"I'm in Auror training, under Moody. He got recalled when the 'clean-up' started. The Ministry thinks that having those from the first round'll help." He nodded, looking thoughtful. The sound of someone coming through the Floo stopped him from commenting.

Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy emerged through the fireplace, both looking slightly annoyed. Draco remembered that his parents hated using the Floo, and wondered why they had this time.

They looked around the room, and Draco could almost see their surprise at it. It was surprisingly nice, considering the werewolf laws regarding employment. Sirius jumped up, standing in front of the two.

"Welcome to the Lupin house, home of misfits, Muggle-borns and blood traitors." The grin on his face showed his amusement at their abrupt discomfort.

"Sirius. I didn't know you would be here."

_What? How did they not know that? _Draco was confused; hadn't they known who he was staying with?

"Course I would be, I live here." The others in the room stood up as well, Draco following suit a moment later than them. Remus walked in.

"Ah, I though I heard you arrive. Lunch is prepared outside today, if you'll follow me." They did so, but Draco lingered back, as his parents did.

"Draco. Are you okay?" Lucius watched his son closely. Draco frowned. Did they expect him to be hurt?

"No, that's not how you say it, Lucius. Draco, did you have a good time?" Narcissa smiled at him. Bewildered, he nodded.

"Yeah... It was weird, but I'm fine." Why were they asking. Narcissa smiled again, and led them both outside to where the others were already sitting. Remus had sent the other kids to the Weasley's for the day, so it was only them.

"Ah. Thank you for having us." Lucius said this stiffly after a nudge from his wife. Sirius chuckled, and Remus smiled.

"Of course. Come, sit down." The first half of the meal was quiet, though Draco couldn't decide if it was awkward or content; it felt like both, to be honest.

After several minutes went past, however, Tonks groaned.

"I can't stand quiet meals! Draco, how are you doing in school? Any plans for after?" He blinked, startled.

"I- I'm doing fine in school, I suppose. I dunno what I'll do after. Work in the Ministry, maybe." This was a lie; he wouldn't need to work at all.

"What's your favorite subject?"

"Potions." She asked several more questions, getting more and more obscure, until he started to question her back, to lighten the attention on him. Soon, Remus was talking carefully to Lucius, and Ted had drawn Narcissa into a quiet discussion of the family tree.

"The Potters? Yes, we're related. I believe Charlus Potter, Harry Potter's grandfather, was my great uncle by marriage. Is that right, Sirius?" Sirius, who had been listening to Tonks' tale of a Quidditch game she'd seen a few months ago, looked up.

"What?" She repeated herself, and he nodded.

"Sounds about right. That'd make Draco and Harry something like fifth cousins, I think." Draco glanced back at him.

"I'm related to him?" Tonks shrugged.

"All Purebloods are related, and the Potters were a pretty big family." She continued her tale.

_XxX_

"Cooro! Get back here!" Nana chased after Cooro angrily, as he bolted up the stairs, a grin on his face.

"Run Cooro! Escape!" Both the twins were egging him on from the top of the stairs, where they waited with their door open. He dove through, and they slammed it shut, just in time.

"Open this door _now!"_ She banged on the door, holding back her laughter. Husky, Harry and Ron appeared on the next landing.

"What's going on?" She couldn't help it; she started laughing.

"I don't really know." She hit the door one more time for good measure, then went back down to where Mrs. Weasley and Ginny sat around the kitchen table.

Senri glanced up at the noise from inside, before turning back to the car that Mr. Weasley was showing him.

"See, you charm this part here, and then the entire thing will extend to fit as many people as you want! Nifty, eh?" Senri nodded, smiling. His mind was elsewhere.

Namely, a crow-boy who was currently waving happily at him from the window of the Burrow.

_XxX_

Draco watched as his father, with a look of intense concentration, called out,

"Knight to H3." The piece moved, killing the pawn that had resided there. Across the board, Remus examined the new arrangement carefully, looking entirely calm. Sirius sat on the floor next to him, watching carefully.

Sirius had been bragging of Remus' skills at chess over lunch, until Lucius finally challenged him to a game. Naturally, Remus accepted, and now they were maybe halfway through the game. From what Draco could tell, it was evenly matched.

The clock in the hall rung, calling that it was not three-thirty. Remus looked up from the board, frowning.

"It's later than I thought. Sirius, could you head to the Weasleys and get the kids? I doubt Molly wants all of them running around her house for too long." Sirius pouted.

"But I wanted to watch you win!" Remus shook his head.

"I'm losing. Now, go. If you hurry, you won't miss anything. Oh, and Bishop to D5." He glanced at the board as the designated piece moved. The pieces weren't calling any instructions to him, an odd trait for a chess set. Lucius had looked rather confused for a round or two, before losing himself in the game.

Andromeda, Tonks and Narcissa were talking quietly on the couch. Sirius left, and Draco turned back to the game.

By the time Sirius came back, the game was nearing its end, though it still wasn't possible to discern a winner. The large group walked in.

"Remus, Ron's gonna stay for a few days, okay? I figured it'd be okay, cause you like the kid," Sirius called, and Ron waved from the back of the group. He eyed the rooms occupants warily, before gravitating towards the chess board. Sirius sat next to Remus again.

"Check." Ron said, pointing out something on the board. Lucius finally looked up, noticing the new person. Ron met his gaze evenly, while Remus examined the board.

"You're right. King to C7." The King sighed in relief as he was transported away from danger.

Cooro walked over to Tonks, eyes fastened on her hair.

"That's cool! How'd you do it?" She smiled at him.

"I'm a Metamorphous*." He nodded, sitting on the couch and smiling at the others. Nana joined him.

"Hi! I'm Nana, and this is Cooro." Andromeda glanced at him, but continued her conversation with Narcissa. Cooro spoke a moment longer with Tonks, before hopping up, proclaiming hunger, and trotting out the door. Senri and Harry followed. Husky had joined the crowd around the chess game, talking to Ted.

"Checkmate." Everyone stopped what they were doing, turning to stare at the game. Remus' eyes were cool, as though he hadn't just spoken. Lucius scanned the board, looking at all the pieces, before looking back at Remus. There was silence for a long moment. Cooro, who had looked back into the room, saw Sirius' hand edge toward his wand.

Then, Lucius bowed his head slightly, putting out a hand.

"Good game, Lupin." Remus smiled brightly.

"It was an honor playing someone with your skill, Lucius." He shook his hand. Draco sighed in relief, and leaned back.

"Well, I hate to ruin the moment, but we must be going, I'm afraid." Narcissa spoke, standing from her place on the couch. Nana looked slightly envious of the grace that she had used in that simple movement.

"It was lovely having you." Remus stood as well, walking to her and smiling. Sirius hopped up, grinning madly.

"Draco, you need help with your bag?" Draco turned, to find Cooro standing behind him. Harry was standing slightly off to the side, trying not to look at him.

"Sure." They walked to the stairs in silence, before Cooro reached the landing. There, he ducked into his room, and emerged with a large box.

"Here, it's a gift. Don't open it 'til later, 'kay?" Awkwardly, Draco took the package, wondering what it was. Cooro grabbed the bag from his room, and they walked back down. Draco slipped the box into his bag as soon as they reached the door.

Narcissa smiled, nodded to the other occupants of the room, and Flooed out. Lucius let Draco go ahead of him, before going through as well. Draco examined the room he had entered, knowing it by heart. It was his own living room. He was finally home.

Later, he sat in his room, unpacked, looking at the package Cooro had given him. He opened it carefully, to find five smaller packages.

One was obviously from Nana, and contained a thick warm scarf, in green and silver. The next was Senri's, and held a wooden charm on a cord. He held it up, wondering what it was.

A note was with it. He opened it up.

_This is a protective charm, specifically for dark spirits. Press your finger to the center and say your name; after that, you don't even need to wear it._

He did as he was told, and felt a rush of warmth. He set it aside, and pulled out the next object.

It was a bag of stones, polished so well he could see his own face in them. He could tell they were rather precious, but didn't recognize them. This, too, had a note.

_These are precious stones with magic properties. Keep a few in your pocket while you practice difficult spells. You'll be able to tell which ones helps what after a bit._

He eyed the stones again, intrigued. He put them back in their bag, which also looked homemade, and set them aside. There were two left, and he could tell that one of them was Cooro's. The other confused him; Remus had given him a book on dragons earlier, so that left Harry and Sirius. He couldn't decide which was more likely.

Cooro's gift was a carefully carved flute, with a note explaining it.

_This has two main functions. The first is as a call for help. Blow it loudly when in danger, and help will come, regardless of where you are._

_The second is for calling. If you play it while alone, earth spirits will appear. They can't really do anything, but when you're lonely, they're a comfort. They cannot speak, and you can't touch them, so don't try._

_Don't show this to anyone; it'll only work for you anyway. It should be glowing green right now, absorbing your 'essence.' _

Draco looked, and it was, sure enough. He folded the note, shaking his head. Most people didn't actually put this much effort into parting gifts with half-enemies; what was wrong with these people?

The last package sat innocently on the bed, waiting for him to open it. He did so, and found two things; a large box of various homemade fudges, and a photo album. He opened it.

Inside were photos of his parents, ones that weren't allowed in the house, from them being children, to school, to their wedding. They didn't extend very far beyond that. He noticed that Remus, Sirius, James Potter and Pettigrew all appeared in a few, even the wedding. Why they'd been there, he couldn't guess.

He sat there for a very long time, watching his young parents, before they became cold and aloof, before the war and Voldemort. They'd been happy.

Draco wondered if that was why his mother was acting so different, because Voldemort was finally dead. Was it freeing? Was the weight of the Dark Mark finally gone?

_XxX_

Cooro relaxed against the couch, watching the flames. Senri and he were the only ones still awake now. The Tonks had left a few minutes ago and, beat, the rest had trooped to bed.

Now, Cooro was tired as well, but he didn't want to get up. He felt his eyes droop, startle open at a slight bang, and then close again, staying that way.

Senri glanced up as Cooro slumped against him, breath soft and even. He shifted, laying down, letting Cooro fall onto him. He lay there for a moment, waiting to see if Cooro would wake, then allowed his own eyes to slide shut as well, murmuring a spell under his breath before he did.

The fire flickered, before fading out entirely, leaving the room in darkness and drowsy warmth.

And the house was peaceful. Over the next few months, there would be Ministry visits, threats delivered and old friends reunited. The rooms were repainted, furnished, as its occupants decided on things. There would be kisses under the mistletoe, smiling students going off to Hogwarts again and the adults going off to work. There would be yelling and cheering, Quidditch matches and races around the house.

Remus would say he never got a moments peace, Sirius would ask why he wanted that.

There would be silly pranks, multiple redheads running loose, pet cats, new books, loud meals and warm nights in the living room.

But for now, it was quiet, and peaceful. The people inside were content and dreaming of the days ahead without a care or worry.

From Above, Lily and James Potter watched the house, smiling, before James looked at his wife.

"They'll be fine. Fate's finished with her work; they get to live now. Let's leave them to it, shall we?" And he held out his hand, and she took it, smiling.

"Let's." And they faded away, while white crows swirled around them, cawing at the sky.


End file.
